A Boolean query uses AND, OR, and NOT to narrow the search results. Here are examples of what you might type in the search field when you use search operators:
| ? | Wildcard character representing one unknown search character. | Alumin? will find results containing Alumina or Alumino, but not Aluminum. |
| * | Wildcard character representing unknown search characters. | Alum* will find results containing Aluminum, Alumina, or Alumino. |
| AND | Finds both terms in a record. | steel AND alloy will find results containing both the words 'steel' and 'alloy' |
| OR | Finds either term in a record. | steel OR alloy will find results containing either the word 'steel', the word 'alloy', or both |
| NOT | Finds records that contain the first term but not the second. | steel NOT alloy will find results containing the word 'steel' but not the word 'alloy' |
| Phrase Search | Finds a phrase in a record. The phrase must be enclosed in double quotes. | "steel alloy" will find results with the words 'steel' and 'alloy' located next to each other |
| Parentheses | Parentheses serve to group terms. Parentheses cannot be empty. | iron AND (ore OR cast) will find results with 'iron' that also contain 'ore' or 'cast' |