SOC 209: Research Methods in Sociology (Awash) Spring 2022 All Sections

BOOLEAN OPERATORS

Boolean operators are words or symbols that are used in conjunction with words to refine searches. 

Here are six helpful ones to use: 

1. AND - narrows 
   1. Ex: ADHD and boys (this narrows down our results to only include ADHD and boys) 
2. NOT - excludes
   1. Ex: ADHD not boys (this narrows down our results to include things about ADHD excluding those that mention boys) 
3. OR - expands
   1. Ex: boys or males or guy (this expands our our search to search for multiple possible terms) 
4. * - expands 
   1. Ex: rac*  (using the asterisk in replace of an ending on a word will expand your search to include results that have any ending on the base word.)
5. " " - exact phrase
   1. Ex: "executive functioning" (this pulls up results that are stated in the item exactly as written) 
6. ( ) - confine
   1. Ex: (ADHD or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) AND (boys or guys or males)     - (this will instruct the database or search engine on what parts go together in your search phrase

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

Interlibrary loan can be helpful if you are looking for resources the library does not currently own. This is a service free of charge to all SUNY Oneonta students and faculty. Digital documents, such as PDFs, can be delivered in as little as a couple of hours whereas physical items, such as books, can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, depending on availability. It is a good idea not to wait until the last minute to do your research in case you need to use ILL.