Here are some tips for creating useful, efficient search queries.

Review the directions of the search engine you are using. Although techniques for formulating a search are similar, there may be a variety of options available. Most search engines have links entitled tips, options, help, or advanced search which outline the methods specific to that particular search engine.
Check your spelling and be aware of alternative spellings.
Choose your keywords carefully and be aware of synonyms.
Use more than one search service. No two search engines cover the entire Internet.
Use at least two keywords in a query. More keywords will give you a smaller and more focused list to review.
Be as specific as possible. For example, liver is more specific than organ, and cirrhosis is more specific than liver disease.
List the main subject first. Search engines often match the first keyword.

The following techniques for creating queries are common across most search engines.

Quotation Marks

For a focused search, use quotation marks around the phrase for which you are searching. This enables the search engine to return documents containing the whole phrase, rather than individual words, and eliminates words located in different parts of a document that are not related. For example, to search for the phrase substance abuse treatment, you would type:

"Substance Abuse Treatment"

Case Sensitivity

Some search engines are case sensitive. When using the example above, search in both of the following ways.

"Substance Abuse Treatment" and "substance abuse treatment"

Truncation

Truncating (cutting off the end of) words can sometimes broaden your search. This allows you to search for both singular and plural versions of nouns, and to search words without spelling them out completely.

Rather than searching for "alcoholism," search for "alcohol." Rather than searching for "addiction," try "addict."

Boolean Logic

Boolean logic (boo-lee-un loj-ik), created by mathematician George Boole, is a form of algebra which organizes concepts together in sets, and reduces all values to either true or false. Search engines use this logic to find information you have requested.¹²

AND, OR, and NOT are the most common Boolean logic terms or "conditions" used. These terms indicate to the search engine the specific manner in which it is being asked to search. It is important to use all capital letters when typing Boolean operators into search statements.

"AND" or "+" Conditions

When you want to search two or more terms together, using "AND" or "+" will tell the search engine to include all the terms specified. For example, if you want information about tobacco use among elementary school children, you might search like this:

"Tobacco Use" AND "Elementary Schools"

Some search engines may require the syntax to be entered as:

+"Tobacco Use" +"Elementary Schools"

"NEAR" Conditions

In many lengthy documents, using AND may not provide useful results because the keywords may be located in different parts of the document and may not be related. You can use the NEAR condition to ensure inclusion of all terms specified and that they are near each other in the document. Example:

"Drug" NEAR "Abuse"

"OR" Conditions

Using the OR condition will broaden a search by making it easier for documents to meet the search criteria. When OR is used, any page containing at least one of the search terms will be displayed. Example, if you are looking for information about marijuana and about alcohol, you might search like this:

"Marijuana" OR "Alcohol"

"NOT" or "AND NOT" Conditions

The NOT or AND NOT conditions are used to exclude terms from a search. For example, if you wanted information on substance abuse treatment relating only to drug abuse, not alcoholism, you could conduct the following search:

"Drug Abuse Treatment" NOT "Alcohol"

Some search engines may require the syntax to be entered as:

+"Drug Abuse Treatment" -"Alcohol"

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