Boxer Library
This link opens in a new window This link opens in a new windowHow databases such as Google, PubMed, LibrarySearch, etc, work is that they retrieve information based on the terms you enter and the criteria you set. Unless you have a really unusual word you will need to use more than one term per search.
Creating a search formula is a way to communicate to the database how you want the words related to one another. Much like telling a waiter I want a burger and fries, a cheeseburger Not with pickles or I want a Coke or Pepsi....
To create a search formula do the following:
Term 1 + Connector + Term 2
The part of the search strategy that tells the database how to relate the terms to one another are the words, AND, OR , NOT. Below is a chart of when to use each of these in your searches.
