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A Guide to Education: Boolean Searching

This Research Guide contains resources supporting students, faculty, and staff in the Departments of Curriculum & Foundations and Teacher Education.

BOOLEAN SEARCHING

  • Logic used in online searching
  • Use Boolean operators to combine search terms in library catalogs, research databases, and search engines
  • The most common Boolean operators are:  AND, OR, NOT

Boolean Operator: AND

AND
  • Use AND to connect your main search terms
  • AND limits results by requiring all terms to be present; fewer items are retrieved

Examples:

academic achievement AND homework

reading AND motivation

school choice AND vouchers


Boolean Operator: OR

OR
  • Use OR to connect synonyms or related terms
  • OR expands results since only one of your search terms needs to be present; more items are retrieved

Examples:

classroom management OR school discipline

inclusion OR inclusive education

parent participation OR parental involvement

Boolean Operator: NOT

NOT
  • Use NOT to exclude a term; fewer items are retrieved

Examples:

disabilities NOT physical

students NOT high school

teachers NOT elementary

 

NESTING

Try NESTING your search terms by using both AND & OR:

Examples:

(inclusion OR inclusive education)

AND

(autism OR autistic)

Piaget

AND

(cognitive OR cognition)

 



 

 

 

 

 

Subject Guide

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Diane Kolosionek
Contact:
Diane Kolosionek
Head, Research & Liaison Services
Michael Schwartz Library, RT 110C
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
(216) 802-3358