INSTRUCTOR: Using Boolean Operators-- brought to you by CSUSB's John M. Pfau Library. In this video, we'll demonstrate how to use the Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT. Using these operators can help narrow or broaden your searches in the library's databases. 

An easy way to narrow your search is to use the word AND between two or more keywords. Though AND is the default for most databases, and you typically will not have to type it out, it's useful to know how it works. AND retrieves only those results that contain all of your keywords. For example, a search for cat AND dog will retrieve only those results that contain both keywords, not simply one or the other. However, if you want to expand your search, use the Boolean operator OR, cat OR dog. This technique will allow you to retrieve results that contain the keywords cat, dog, or cat and dog. 

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For a more sophisticated search, combine the Boolean operators AND and OR. For example, let's say we want results about cats or dogs or birds but we also want these results to address animal welfare. First, we would place parentheses around cats OR dogs OR birds as if it were a mathematical equation. We would then add "animal welfare" using the Boolean operator AND. 

Finally, you can use the Boolean operator NOT to exclude keywords from your search results. For example, if I want to retrieve information about animals but not dogs, I would search like this, animals NOT dogs. And even though I actually love dogs, using NOT eliminates what I don't want, saving me time and energy I would have otherwise spent combing through my results. 

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