Terms and Connectors
Terms and Connectors logic uses Boolean searching to create phrases and concepts based on specific rules of search logic.
This type of search looks for articles that contain particular words and combinations of words in the search request.
Connectors are characters that establish logical relationships between words and concepts. Multiple connectors can be used in a single search. When multiple connectors are used in a search, the search processes according to a priority order that works much like an algebraic equation. The following table lists the connectors in their order of priority.
| Note | The letter nstands for a number from 1 to 255. If you use this connector with a different word order, it changes the meaning. |
The following table displays connector examples.
| Operator | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| OR | Links synonyms, alternative spellings, abbreviations, and other words. | doctor or physician finds either doctor or physician. |
| PRE/n | Finds documents in which the first search word precedes the second by not more than the stated number of words. | southwest pre/2 air or airline finds Southwest Air or Southwest Airlines. |
| W/n | Finds documents with search words that appear within the stated number of words. W/n does not specify a word order. | banking w/5 fraud finds banking within five or fewer words of fraud, regardless of which word appears first. |
| W/p | Finds documents with search words that appear within the same paragraph. You may also use W/p when you want your search words to have a general relationship to each other. The W/p connector cannot be combined with the W/n connector. | banking w/p fraud finds banking in the same paragraph as fraud. |
| W/s | Finds documents with search words that appear within the same sentence. You may also use W/s when you want a close relationship between words without specifying an exact proximity. The W/s connector cannot be combined with the W/n connector. | banking w/s fraud finds banking in the same sentence as fraud. |
| AND | Links words or phrases that must both appear anywhere in the same document, no matter how far apart. As a general rule, use AND when it does not matter where your search words appear in a document. Use the W/n connector when there is a connection between your search terms, and you need to find the terms near each other. | banking and fraud finds both banking and fraud anywhere in the same document. |
| AND NOT | Finds documents in which a search word or phrase is to be excluded. Use this connector with caution because it can exclude relevant documents. Always use this connector at the end of your search. | banking and not fraud finds the word banking anywhere in the document, but the word fraud cannot appear anywhere in the same document. |