Evidence Based Practice for Nursing

The Big 3:

AND: combines two differing sets of elements - This operator NARROWS your search

OR: combines two similar terms within an element - This operator EXPANDS your search

NOT: Excludes certain a specific term from the search results. WARNING: NOT can be used incorrectly very easily. If you're not careful you could exclude articles that you DO want in your results! Ask a librarian if you're unsure. 

Here are a few examples of how to use a Boolean Operator:

Your friend is heading to the grocery store and asks if you want anything while she's out. You're in the mood for some candy, so you tell your friend:

Bring me something with chocolate, caramel, OR peanuts.

This gives your friend a lot of options to choose from, she could bring you something purely chocolate OR chocolate/caramel OR chocolate/nuts. OR gives you more choices and ways to combine what you're looking for. 

However - Maybe you're picky and you tell your friend:

Bring me something with chocolate AND caramel. 

This limits your friend to bringing you candy that MUST contain chocolate and caramel. 

Database syntax is a set of symbols, tags, and formatting that tells the database exactly how you want something to be searched. It allows the searcher more control and specificity when running a search. Its important to note that database syntax is not standard across all databases but usually has some very common recurring elements:

* - used as a wild card, usually at the end of a word or phrase. This tells the database that you want to include different suffixes in the search. 

ex: Child* will return results that include Children, childhood, child's, etc. 

() Parenthesis are often used to denote the start and end of a search element. 

ex: (dogs OR puppies OR doggos OR canines OR Hounds) AND (cats OR kitties OR Kitty cats OR felines)

" " Quotes around a word or phrase tell the database that that exact string of words needs to be searched together as one entity. 

ex: "nursing student" will only return results that have those two words directly next to each other. If you don't include the quotes the database will search them as two separate words returning results that only have the word "nursing" or "student" in the findings. This can mean you have way too many results that don't fit your criteria.

There are plenty more but each database is different - If you're ever unsure of how to look up how a database uses syntax a quick google search (database syntax + libguide) or (database + help) usually will bring up a resource that will lay out exactly how to search. And remember you can always ask a librarian!