AND: to connect terms that may be anywhere in a document.
OR: to find synonyms, alternative phrases
NOT: to omit specific word(s) in search phrase
Proximity
to find terms that are in the same sentence
to find terms in the same paragraph
to find terms within "n" number of words of each other.
Proximity symbols vary across databases. They commonly include a slash (/). See specific database links below.
Truncation
Use to retrieve singular/plural forms or variant endings of terms
Truncation symbols vary across databases. Most common is either the asterisk (*) or exclamation point (!). See specific database links in the neighboring box.