Phrase Searching Tips
Most databases allow you to specify that adjacent words be searched as phrases.
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Using parentheses or quotes around search words is a common way to do phrase searching, but not all databases or search engines use them.
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Example: "genetic engineering"
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Hint: It is often very easy to do phrase searching from the Advanced or Guided search in a database.
What to Look For
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Different databases interpret searches differently. A common variation is how databases recognize phrases.
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Some assume that words typed next to each other should be searched as phrases.
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Others automatically put a Boolean AND between your search terms, requiring that all the words be present, but not necessarily adjacent to each other.
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These searches can retrieve very different results.
Proximity Operators
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Many databases allow you to specify that the words you are searching are within a certain proximity of each other.
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Proximity operators are more specific than Boolean operators and make your search more precise.
Proximity Operator Examples
Proximity operators also vary by database, but some common ones include:
w# = with
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With specifies that words appear in the order you type them in.
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Substitute the # with a number of words that may appear in between. If no number is given, then it specifies an exact phrase.
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Examples:
genetic w engineering (searches the phrase genetic engineering)
Hillary w2 Clinton (retrieves Hillary Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, etc.)
n# = near
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Near specifies that the words may appear in any order.
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Substitute the # with a number of words that may appear in between.
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Examples:
cloning n3 human (retrieves cloning of humans, human cloning etc.)