Boolean = AND OR NOT
Boolean Operators link concepts and are used to broaden or narrow your search.
AND - finds results with your all search terms. AND narrows your search.
OR - finds results with any of your search terms. OR broadens your search.
NOT - finds search terms only before the NOT. NOT narrows your search.
Many databases have an Advanced Search option with a pull down menu that allows you to choose a Boolean operator and a Field Type, such as Title or Author. When searching a database using your own search strategy, the Boolean terms must be capitalized.
Adding Boolean to the Search
Now each group of concepts and synonyms will be combined using the Boolean term OR. This means that everything within the parentheses could be one of the terms found.
Now, each concept group will be joined with AND. This means that our search will find any of the terms within each group in parantheses AND ALSO any of the terms in each additional group.
Next, we'll use some advanced search techniques to refine the search even further.