Operators
What are basic operators?
Operators are usually symbols (like +, - or " " ) or words (AND, OR, NOT) that change the way search engines interpret query terms.
AND
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Requires all terms to appear somewhere in the document, in any order. Example: curriculum AND high AND school |  |
+
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Requires all terms to appear somewhere in the document, in any order. Example: +curriculum +high +school |
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" "
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Requires all terms within the quotation marks to appear in the order written. Creates a highly specific phrase. Example: "high school curriculum" |
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NOT
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Excludes documents containing whatever follows it. |
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-
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Excludes documents containing whatever follows it. |
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OR
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Includes any page with at least one of the terms. |
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Why use operators?
Operators help to refine your search terms to get better results by enabling you to expand, narrow, or focus your query. (Helpful hints: Expand contains the word and "exp and" but you use OR to expand your search. "Nar ro w" contains the word or backwards but you use AND to narrow your search. Just a little reverse search psychology.)
What do operators do?
Basic operators may instruct the search engine to include all terms in a search dolphins AND football or exclude a term dolphins -football from documents retrieved. Basic operators can also turn individual terms into a unique phrase that must appear exactly as written in a retrieved document, "George Washington professional football".