Using boolean search

Boolean search lets you look for combinations of up to three terms or phrases using Boolean connector terms (i.e., AND, OR, NOT).

The boolean search query form.

To use the boolean form ...

1. Use the pulldown button to select a region of a text to search within (e.g., lines ). This region will be the context in which all the terms entered in the text boxes will be evaluated.
   
   
2. Enter a term or phrase in the first text box. Multiple words in a single box will be treated as a literal string, not separately in an "any word" or "all words" sense. Use an asterisk with a word stem to find variations on the word (e.g., searching for civ* will match civ, civil, civic, and civilian.). All other punctuation will be ignored.
   
   Please note: the options available in the pull-down button for selecting search regions is determined by the collections selected. Making changes in the collection filters or in the collection list (steps 3 and 4 below) may change items in the list.
   
   
3. To restrict the search to a range of collections matching certain criteria, select values in the collection filters. Collections matching the criteria will be automatically selected in the collection list. (this step is optional)
   
   
4. To manually add or remove collections from the collection list, check or uncheck the checkbox next to a collection name. (this step is optional).
   
   
5. If you enter a term or phrase in the second text box, select a boolean operator after the first text box to determine the relationship between the first term and the second.
   
   examples:
   

   Civil in the first box, war in the second box, and the and operator between would look for all instances of civil and war in the specified region.
   
   Civil in the first box, war in the second box, and the or operator between would look for all instances of civil or war in the specified region.
   
   Civil in the first box, war in the second box, and the not operator between would look for all instances of civil that occur without war occurring in the specified region.
   
   

6. If you enter a term or phrase in the third text box, select a boolean operator after the second text box to determine the relationship between the second term and the third.
   
   Please note: If you enter terms in all three boxes, the search query will evaluate the boolean relationship between terms 1 and 2 first, and then evaluate the last term.
   
   example:
   
   

   World in the first box, followed by the and operator
   
   Socialism in the second box followed by the or operator
   
   Poverty in the last box

   
   
   will be evaluated as
   
   

   ( world and socialism ) or poverty

   
   
   
7. Click the "search checked collections" button to submit the query.

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