Database Help Chart

DATABASE VENDORS

Boolean Operators

explanation

Truncations

explanation

Single-Character Wildcard
explanation

Multi-Character Wildcard
explanation

CRIS

AND, OR, NOT, ;

child?

wom?n

col?r

Cambridge Sci. Abstr. (CSA)

AND, OR, NOT, ""

child*

wom?n

col*r

Chemical Abstracts

N / A

child?

wom#n

col?r

EBSCO

AND, OR, NOT, "",
N(#) = near
W# = within
child* wom?n wom?n

Expanded Academic

AND, OR

N / A

N / A

N / A

FAO Stat Statistics

AND, OR

N / A

N / A

N / A

FirstSearch

AND, OR, NOT

child*/ child+

wom#n

col?r

Ovid

AND, OR, NOT, NEAR, ""

child$/ child:

wom#n

col?r

Gateway

AND, OR

child?

wom#n

col?r

Web of Science

AND, OR, NOT, SAME 

child*

wom?n, wom*n

col*r

WebSPIRS

AND, OR, NOT, NEAR, ""

child*

wom?n

fly**/ col?r

**Please read the explanations below for further assistance.**


Boolean Operators: Basic commands that expand or limit the search.

AND: All terms joined by AND must occur in the record.

NOT: The term following NOT must be absent from the record.

SAME: The terms joined by SAME must occur in the same record.

OR: Any one of the terms joined by OR must occur in the record.

NEAR: The terms joined by NEAR must be in the same field of the record, e.g., both in the abstract.



Truncations: Searches by the root of the word and for anything added onto the trunk of the word.

?    --    For example, enter "child?" to search for child, children, childhood, etc.

*    --   For example, enter "child*" to search for child, children, childhood, etc.

$    --   For example, enter "child$" to search for child, children, childhood, etc.



Single-Character Wildcard:  Substitutes one letter to search for alternate spellings.

?   --   For example, enter "wom?n" to search for woman or women.

#   --   For example, enter "wom#n" to search for woman or women.

*   --   For example, enter "wom*n" to search for woman or women.



Multiple-Character Wildcard: Substitutes one or more letters to search for alternate spellings.

?   --   For example, enter "col?r" to search for color or colour.

*   --   For example, enter "col*r" to search for color or colour.

**   --   For example, enter "col**r" to search for color or colour.