The Search Strategy Builder is a tool designed to teach you how to create a search string using Boolean logic. While it is not a database and is not designed to input a search, you should be able to cut and paste the results into most databases’ search boxes.
Now copy and paste the above Search Strategy into a database search box.
The Search Strategy Builder was developed by the University of Arizona Libraries(CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
Databases use three primary operators to determine how you want your search to be run:
Additionally, the use of () will allow the database to know how you want your search terms to be interpreted:
(horse OR equine) AND (hoof OR hooves) AND lameness
will bring much more relevant results as the search must include at least one term from the three primary concepts used (either or both of the terms horse/equine) AND (either or both of the terms hoof/hooves) AND the term lameness
Compare the above to this to the search:
horse OR equine AND hoof OR hooves AND lameness
where the blue indicates what and how the terms would be searched for and brought back in the results list. Here, results would include items that contained any of the following conditions:
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