ALL ABOUT: Search Operators & Wildcards

Database note: Some of the links on this page direct to the University of Kentucky Libraries' databasesLinks to an external site..

Note: Unless otherwise specified, the examples on this page use the EBSCO platform’s symbols and syntax.

Boolean operators

AND returns the intersection of two sets: all results contain all the search terms

E.g. cognitive AND therapy finds items that contain both “cognitive” and “therapy.”
OR returns the sum of two sets: each result contains at least one of the terms

E.g. cognitive OR therapy finds items that contain either “cognitive” or “therapy.”
NOT returns the difference between two sets: results contain no records with the term that follows the NOT operator.

E.g. Searching for cognitive NOT therapy finds items that contain “cognitive” but not “therapy”.

Tip: Use NOT with caution! Searching for heart NOT lung would exclude a record that contains the statement, “We examined the heart instead of the lung,” which is likely to be a relevant find.

Near Operator (Nn) returns records if the terms are within n words of each other, regardless of the order.
E.g. cognitive N2 therapy matches to "cognitive therapy," "cognitive behavior therapy," "therapy improves cognitive function."
Within Operator (Wn) returns records if the terms are within n words of each other in the order they are entered.
E.g. cognitive W2 therapy matches to “cognitive therapy” and “cognitive behavior therapy” but not “therapy improves cognitive function”.

Tip: Multiple terms can be used on either side of the proximity operators: (cognitive W2 (treatment OR therapy OR intervention))

Truncate (*) The asterisk (*) finds all extensions of the root. Can be used within a phrase in EBSCO interfaces (this is not always true for other interfaces).

comput* matches to computer, computers, computation, computing, etc.
“cognitive * therapy” matches to "cognitive therapy," "cognitive behavior therapy," etc.

Single Character (?) The question mark (?) replaces exactly one character.
E.g. wom?n matches to both woman and women.
Alternative Spellings (#) The hash (#) returns records when an extra character is included in alternative spellings.
E.g. colo#r matches to both color and colour.

Boolean, Proximity, and Truncation are the most common types of operators. You will find many more specialized operators out there, including:

Field operators search within specific metadata fields.
E.g. in WorldCat, ti:"the wire" Links to an external site. returns instances where that phrase occurs in the title field
Intensifiers can apply a ranking to specific search terms.
E.g. in JSTOR, albright^10 clinton Links to an external site. returns articles that include both words, but the relevancy ranking considers "albright" to be 10 times more important than "clinton"
Functions can perform computations.
E.g. in Google, 32F in C Links to an external site. performs a conversion from Fahreinheit to Celsius
File type, format, or state allow you to specify specific file formats and states.
E.g. in Gmail, "mom is:unread" will return messages that include the word "mom" and are unread

Every platform is different! Make sure you're searching the way you think you're searching.

"Advanced" or "Expert" search pages may allow you to construct your search directly on the page, without having to learn symbols.
A database’s help file is always worth reading for a database you use a lot. You'll learn about all kinds of extra features and quirks.
Ask your librarian to help you find the symbols. Help files are often tricky to find and tiring for non-librarians to decipher. Ask a librarian. They are happy to guide you!
Search the web for a recent guide. Confirm that the guide matches the most recent release of the database. Try constructing a search like: [Database name] + "advanced search operators" or "search tips"