General Amherst High School

Boolean Operators (search tools)

Boolean operators do NOT need to be capitalized. They are capitalized on this page to make them stand out for instructional purposes.

The diagram to the left indicates the results for the search: (foxes OR rabbits) AND pest control

The statement in parentheses - 'foxes OR rabbits' - is processed first. For further information and examples search Boolean Operators on the Internet.

AND

Put AND between any two search terms to find documents containing both terms.

OR

Put OR between any two or more search terms to find documents containing any of the terms. For example, "Mattel OR Barbie OR Toys OR G.I. Joe". Be careful not to confuse OR with "either/or." A document that contains more than one of the terms will also be retrieved.

NOT

Put NOT right in front of any search term to exclude documents that contain that term. Use in combination with one or more terms that you do want to find. For example, "Diabetes AND Obesity NOT Pregnancy".

AND	Put AND between any two search terms to find documents containing both terms.
OR	Put OR between any two or more search terms to find documents containing any of the terms. For example, "Mattel OR Barbie OR Toys OR G.I. Joe". Be careful not to confuse OR with "either/or." A document that contains more than one of the terms will also be retrieved.
NOT	Put NOT right in front of any search term to exclude documents that contain that term. Use in combination with one or more terms that you do want to find. For example, "Diabetes AND Obesity NOT Pregnancy".