How Library Stuff Works: Boolean Modifiers "", *, ( )

Summary

Part II of McMaster Libraries' Boolean Searching Series teaches advanced search techniques using Boolean Modifiers. Quotations ensure exact phrase matches, narrowing results. The asterisk allows for word variations, expanding search scope. Brackets, like in algebra, dictate search order, ensuring accurate query interpretation. These tools refine searches, guiding users to precise information. For further assistance, librarians are available for one-on-one consultations.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT) are fundamental for effective searches, but additional modifiers are needed for precise results.
• 📝 Quotation marks instruct the search engine to find documents containing the exact phrase enclosed within them.
• 🔑 Using quotes helps in narrowing down search results by ensuring the search engine looks for the specific multi-word concept.
• 🌟 The asterisk acts as a truncation symbol, allowing the search engine to retrieve documents with various word endings starting with a common root.
• 🔄 Truncating a word with an asterisk broadens the search to include different forms of the word, enhancing the retrieval of relevant documents.
• 🗄 Brackets, or parentheses, are crucial for setting the order of operations in a search query, ensuring the search engine interprets the query as intended.
• 🧮 Brackets help in grouping terms and Boolean Operators, directing the search engine to apply the right operators to the correct terms first.
• ❌ Including brackets prevents misinterpretation by the search engine, which could lead to incorrect or unexpected search results.
• 📚 The McMaster Libraries Boolean Cheat Sheet is a valuable resource for guidance on using Boolean search techniques effectively.
• 💬 Librarians are available for assistance, either in-person or through research consultations, to help refine search strategies and understand Boolean searching.

Q & A

What are the three Boolean operators mentioned in the McMaster Libraries Boolean Searching Series?

The three Boolean operators mentioned are AND, OR, and NOT.

How do quotation marks function in a search query?

Quotation marks are used to direct the search engine to find articles that contain the exact phrase as it is enclosed within the quotations.

What is the purpose of using asterisks in a search?

Asterisks are used to account for different variations of a word by truncating the word after the last shared letter and adding an asterisk, which tells the database to include all variations of the word that start with the given letters.

Why are brackets important in a search query?

Brackets, or parentheses, are crucial for directing the database to apply specific Boolean operators first, just like in algebra where operations within brackets are performed before others.

What is the role of the Boolean modifier NOT in a search?

The NOT operator is used to exclude documents containing a specific term from the search results.

Can you provide an example of how to use quotation marks in a search query from the transcript?

An example from the transcript is using 'dementia therapy' in quotes to retrieve articles that contain the exact phrase 'dementia therapy'.

How does the asterisk help in broadening the search results?

The asterisk allows the search engine to include all variations of a word starting with a specific set of letters, thus broadening the search to include terms like 'therapy', 'therapies', and 'therapeutic'.

What does the acronym BEDMAS stand for and how is it related to search queries?

BEDMAS stands for Brackets, Exponents, Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction, and it is related to search queries as it dictates the order of operations, emphasizing that operations within brackets should be performed first.

Why might search results be wonky without the use of brackets?

Without brackets, the search engine might interpret the search differently from the user's intent, leading to incorrect or unexpected results due to the misapplication of Boolean operators.

What resource is recommended for further clarification on Boolean searching?

The McMaster Libraries Boolean Cheat Sheet is recommended for further clarification or as a refresher on Boolean searching techniques.

How can users get assistance with their research queries at McMaster Libraries?

Users can visit the libraries on campus or book a research consultation for one-on-one assistance with their research queries.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Boolean Modifiers in Search Engines

This paragraph introduces the use of Boolean modifiers to enhance search queries. It explains that using quotation marks can direct the search engine to find exact phrases, thereby narrowing down results. The asterisk is highlighted as a tool for including various forms of a word, which broadens the search to include different word endings. Lastly, the importance of brackets (parentheses) is emphasized for organizing the order of Boolean operations, ensuring the search engine interprets the query as intended. The McMaster Libraries' Boolean Cheat Sheet is recommended for further guidance, and librarians are offered as a resource for assistance.

Keywords

💡Boolean Operators

Boolean Operators are logical connectors used in search queries to combine keywords in various ways. In the context of the video, AND, OR, and NOT are introduced as fundamental tools for effective searching. They help users to refine their search results by specifying relationships between different terms. For example, using 'AND' narrows down results to those containing both keywords, 'OR' broadens the search to include results with either keyword, and 'NOT' excludes results containing a certain term.

💡Quotations

Quotations, or quotation marks, are used in searches to find exact phrases. The video explains that enclosing a phrase in quotation marks instructs the database to return results containing that exact phrase. This is crucial for pinpointing specific concepts or terms that are multi-worded. For instance, searching for 'dementia therapy' in quotes ensures that the database looks for articles with the exact phrase, not just the individual words scattered throughout the text.

💡Asterisk

The asterisk is a truncation symbol used in searching to account for different variations of a word. By placing an asterisk after the common part of a word, the search engine retrieves documents containing all possible endings of that word. This is demonstrated in the video with the word 'therapy', where 'therap*' would match 'therapy', 'therapies', and 'therapeutic', thereby broadening the search results to include various forms of the term.

💡Brackets

Brackets, also known as parentheses, are used in search queries to group terms and operators, ensuring that the search engine processes them as a unit before moving on to the rest of the query. This is likened to the mathematical order of operations, where operations within brackets are performed first. In the video, brackets are used to clarify the search intent, such as grouping 'cat' with 'therapy' or 'treatment' and excluding 'p-cat', which helps in achieving more accurate search results.

💡Boolean Modifiers

Boolean Modifiers are advanced search techniques that enhance the functionality of Boolean Operators. The video discusses how modifiers like quotations, asterisks, and brackets can be used to direct the search engine more precisely. These modifiers allow for more sophisticated and targeted searches, ensuring that the search results align closely with the user's information needs.

💡Search Engine

A search engine is the system or software that processes search queries and retrieves relevant information from a database. In the video, the search engine is personified as needing clear instructions through the use of Boolean Operators and Modifiers to understand and fulfill the user's search request accurately. The effectiveness of a search is heavily dependent on how well the search engine can interpret the user's intent.

💡Database

A database, in the context of the video, refers to the collection of documents or records that the search engine searches through. The video emphasizes how using the correct Boolean Operators and Modifiers allows users to direct the search engine to find exactly what they are looking for within the database. The database is the resource that the search engine queries to provide the user with search results.

💡Search Results

Search results are the documents, articles, or information that a search engine retrieves based on the user's query. The video discusses how the use of Boolean Operators and Modifiers can significantly impact the relevance and accuracy of search results. By correctly formatting searches, users can narrow down or broaden the set of results to better match their information needs.

💡BEDMAS

BEDMAS is a mnemonic used to remember the order of operations in mathematics, which stands for Brackets, Exponents, Division and Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. The video uses BEDMAS as an analogy to explain the importance of using brackets in search queries. Just as mathematical operations within brackets are performed first, search engines prioritize the Boolean operations within brackets, ensuring the search is executed as intended by the user.

💡Boolean Cheat Sheet

A Boolean Cheat Sheet is a reference guide that lists the rules and symbols used in Boolean logic for search queries. The video mentions the McMaster Libraries Boolean Cheat Sheet as a resource for users who need clarification or a refresher on how to use Boolean Operators and Modifiers effectively. This tool can help users improve their search skills and achieve better results.

Highlights

Boolean Modifiers like quotations, asterisk, and brackets are essential for precise searching.

Quotations ensure the search engine finds articles with the exact phrase enclosed.

Using 'dementia therapy' in quotes narrows results to articles containing that exact phrase.

Quotations are useful for packaging multi-word concepts together in searches.

The asterisk allows for searching multiple variations of a word.

Truncating a word after the last shared letter and adding an asterisk broadens search results.

Brackets, or parentheses, direct the search engine to apply Boolean Operators in a specific order.

Brackets ensure the search engine interprets the search as intended by the user.

Including brackets can prevent misinterpretation by the search engine.

Consulting the McMaster Libraries Boolean Cheat Sheet can provide further clarification on search techniques.

Librarians at McMaster Libraries are available for one-on-one research consultation.

Boolean Operators AND, OR, NOT are foundational but require correct formatting for effective use.

Search engines may struggle to understand queries without proper use of Boolean Modifiers.

The asterisk can be used to account for different word endings, such as 'therapy', 'therapies', 'therapeutic'.

Brackets help in grouping terms and operators to ensure the search engine processes them correctly.

Without brackets, the search engine might apply operators in an unintended order, leading to inaccurate results.

Transcripts

Welcome to Part II of McMaster Libraries

Boolean Searching Series.

In Part I we established that the Boolean Operators

AND OR NOT, are effective search tools

This is a great starting point but if we

don't format our searches correctly,

the search engine may still have a difficult

time understanding what we are asking it to do.

By using the Boolean Modifiers

quotations, asterisk and brackets,

we can ensure that we are directing the

search engine to find exactly what we are looking for.

First let's talk about quotations.

If a phrase is put within quotation marks

the database knows that it must find

articles that contain the quoted phrase

exactly as contained within the quotations.

So if we use the same example from Part 1 of this series

where we were looking for information on

cats and dementia therapy,

putting dementia therapy in quotes

tells the database to only retrieve articles that contain

the phrase dementia therapy.

Quotes can be useful in narrowing search results.

They allow us to package concepts that are

more than one word together, instead of

searching each word of the phrase

independent of the others.

The asterisk is another important tool used in searching.

The asterisk is a way in which we can

take into consideration the many

different ways we can express a word.

So instead of having to tell the database

to search for documents containing the

words therapy OR therapies OR therapeutic,

we can simply truncate the word

after the last shared letter, in this case p,

and add an asterisk.

This tells the database that as long as the word begins

with t-h-e-r-a-p it doesn't matter what the

rest of the world looks like.

So if you are searching for a word that

has many different variations, think of

all the variations of the word, truncate

the word after the last shared letter and

add an asterisk. This will ensure that the

database knows you want all the

variations of the word possible and

broaden the set of relevant results retrieved.

Brackets, also known as parentheses,

are super important to include when searching.

Remember back in high school algebra

when you learned about BEDMAS?

The rules of BEDMAS tell

us to perform the operations within

brackets before anything else.

Search engines work the same way.

Brackets are a way to direct the database as to

which Boolean Operators to apply first.

Say I enter in a search like this:

The search engine will probably read my search from

left-to-right applying the operators in

a different order than I intended.

By adding brackets, we were able to tell the

database exactly what terms and Boolean

Operators belong together.

So with brackets, my search should look a

little something like this:

By including these brackets I'm able to

communicate to the database that I

want to retrieve documents that

contain some variation of the word cat

but NOT p-cat AND these documents must

also contains some variation of the word therapy or treatment.

Without brackets, we

can't be sure the search engine has

interpreted our search the same way that we do,

which could lead us to some wonky results.

In summary, quotation marks are a

way in which we can tell the search

engine to retrieve exact phrases.

Asterisk are a way in which we can tell the search

engine to retrieve multiple variations

of a word. And lastly brackets are a way in

which we can communicate to the database

which terms and operators belong together.

Remember to consult McMaster Libraries

Boolean Cheat Sheet if you need any further

clarification or just a simple refresher.

If you have any questions, librarians are here to help!

Visit us in any of our libraries on campus,

or book a research consultation for one-on-one assistance.