Custom Boolean Search

The information below describes how to create a search query in the Custom Boolean field.

Searching For a Word

Searching For a Phrase

Searching For a Query

Search Operators

 

Searching for a Word

NOTE:  Stemmed variations are affixes added to the base of a word.  For example, stemmed variations of educate are education, educator, and educates.

 

Searching for a Phrase

Searching for a Query

NOTE:  The search engine ignores the case of the search terms entered.  For example, TEXAS, texas, and Texas return the same results.

 

Search Operators

A search operator is a Boolean connector to be applied to the search terms.  

Available operators:

AND

NEAR

NEAR#

NOT

OR

BEFORE

AFTER

WILDCARD

 

Concept Operator

Selects documents that contain all the search terms.

Example: speaker AND appoint AND member

Result: Displays documents that contain speaker, appoint, and member as well as any stemmed variations.

 

Proximity Operator

Selects documents containing specified search terms, where the closer the search terms are within a document, the higher the document's rank.

Example: public NEAR school

Result: Displays documents that contain public, school, and stemmed variations that are in close proximity to each other.

 

Proximity Operator

Selects documents containing two or more search terms within a specified number of words of each other where N is a whole number.  The closer the search terms are within a document, the higher the document's rank.

Example: majority NEAR10 votes NEAR10 election

Result: Displays documents that contain stemmed variations of majority, votes, and election within 10 words of each other.

 

Concept Operator

Excludes documents containing the words or phrase.

Example: alcohol NOT beverage

Result: Displays documents containing the stemmed variations of alcohol, but not any stemmed variations of the word beverage.

 

Concept Operator

Selects documents that contain at least one of the terms.

Example: sky rocket OR skyrocket OR missile

Result: Displays documents that contain at least one of the search elements, or a stemmed variation of at least one of them.

 

Proximity Operator

Returns only documents in which the first term precedes the second one.

Example: red BEFORE green

Result: Displays documents in which the term green appears later than the term red.

 

Proximity Operator

Returns only documents in which the first term appears later than the second one.

Example: red AFTER green

Result: Displays documents in which the term red appears later than the term green.

 

Evidence Operator

Matches wildcard characters included in a term. Certain characters automatically indicate a wildcard specification. A wildcard query returns documents only if one or more matches to the wildcard term exist in the documents. If the term is matched, it is then stemmed and all occurrences of the stem (in any document) are also considered matches.

 

Wildcard Character

Description

Example

Result

?

Specifies one alphanumeric character.

ca?

Displays documents that contain a three letter word starting with the letters ca. For example, cab, can, cap, or car.  

*

Specifies zero or more alphanumeric characters.

stat* NOT station

Displays documents that contain words that begin with stat, but not station.  The document will not display if it contains both.