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NURS 6320 - Theoretical Foundations: Use the Databases

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This page will introduce you to accessing the databases and performing a basic search in different database platforms.

Boolean Operators

Combine your search terms using Boolean operators to get results.

What are Boolean Operators?

Boolean operators connect your search words together to either narrow or broaden your results in a database (like PubMed) or search engine (like Google Scholar).

Boolean operators are the words "AND", "OR" and "NOT".

Diagram Explaining Boolean Operators


Keywords or Subject Headings

You will use a mix of keyword terms and subject headings (also called MeSH or thesaurus terms, depending on the database). It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the relevant terms according to your subject and the database.

Chart showing differences between keywords and subject headings