| Topic: Advanced Search Engine Techniques
Overview Lesson Quiz
Overview
Included in advanced web searching are:
- Using the Boolean "and"
- Does case matter?
- Using the minus sign
- Truncation
- Finding images on the Web
Lesson
Using AND to narrow a search:
You may use the word "and" to add another concept to your search. For example, firearms AND schools. This would help to narrow your search, so you would find fewer web sites but they would be more closely on your topic.
The *Boolean AND may be used to join words or concepts, but be aware if you use it, that many search engines require it to be capitalized. Look at the following examples:
- cats AND dogs
- flea markets AND air rifles AND ammunition
Note that many search engines ignore AND (as well as the other Boolean operators). Others use AND by default – they assume you have used it even if you have not included it in your search.
Using *Boolean operators, such as "and," in Web searching is tricky. Whereas the use of Boolean operators is required in advanced database searching, for those new to Web searching these operators are less useful, because each Web search engine may process the operators differently.
*To learn more about Boolean techniques see the appropriate lessons in the Basic Searching unit and the Advanced Searching units.
Quiz
Why is the plus sign used in some search statements?
a. is it used like the boolean AND
b. all words entered must appear in the results
c. the word following it must appear in the results
Unit 1: 8 of 15
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