The 3M Search Strategy

… a simple way to help students prepare to use

BOOLEAN logic to search
 the WebCat
 the internet

Make a simple table with three columns

and column titles:
 MUST
 MIGHT
 MUST NOT
 The 3M Search Strategy

MUST MIGHT MUST NOT

List what List what List what

search search search
terms you terms you terms you
know must think might know must
be there be there not be there
 The 3M Search Strategy
allows you to build a search string

MUST MIGHT(+) MUST NOT(-)

You will You can add You can

search these subtract these
these terms words with terms with
using AND OR NOT
 The 3M Search Strategy
allows you to build a search string

MUST You want to search

for sites of maps of
China China.
maps

You will
search
these terms Search China AND maps
using AND
 BOOLEAN SEARCH: AND

You want to search for sites of maps of China.

Search China AND maps

China Maps

(MUST) (MUST)

Results: You will get only the light green sites

 The 3M Search Strategy
allows you to build a search string

MIGHT
MUST You want to search
for sites about First
First Nations Nations.
aboriginal .

You will
search
these terms Search First Nations OR
using OR aboriginal
 BOOLEAN SEARCH: OR

You want to search for sites about First

Nations. Search First Nations OR aboriginal

First
Nations Aboriginal

(MUST) (MIGHT)

Results: You will get all the green sites

 The 3M Search Strategy
allows you to build a search string

MUST
MUST
NOT You want to search
for sites about China.
China
dishes

You will
search
these terms Search China NOT dishes
using NOT
 BOOLEAN SEARCH: NOT

You want to search for sites about China.

Search China NOT dishes

China dishes

(MUST) (NOT)

Results: You will get only the green sites

 The 3M Search Strategy
allows you to build a more complex search string

MUST
MUST
You want to search for
sites about First
First Nations Nations education in
British Columbia.
Education
British Columbia
Search:
First Nations
You will
AND education
search
AND
these terms
British Columbia
using AND
 BOOLEAN SEARCH: AND…AND
You want to search for sites about First Nations
education in British Columbia. Enter search terms
First Nations AND education AND British Columbia

First Nations Education

(MUST) (MUST)

British Columbia
(MUST)

Results: You will get all the inner green sites

 The 3M Search Strategy
allows you to build a search string to find
adjacent terms:

MUST
MUST You want to search
for sites about

”Gold Rush” The Gold Rush.

You will keep these

terms adjacent by Search ”Gold Rush”
putting them in
quotation marks
BOOLEAN SEARCH: “adjacent terms”
You want to search for sites about the Gold Rush.
Enter search terms “Gold Rush” (in quotation marks)
to find only those sites where the words are adjacent:

Gold Rush

Sites with
gold and rush

Results: You will get all the inner green sites

 The 3M Search Strategy
allows you to conduct searches using truncated
search terms, the lowest common word roots:
MIGHT
MUST You want to find sites about
the Buddhist faith.
Buddh*

Will you search:

Buddha OR
Buddhism OR
You can “reduce” or
Buddhist ?
truncate these
search terms using Or …
the *
BOOLEAN SEARCH: “truncated terms”
You want to search for sites about Buddhism.

Search the truncated form Buddh* to find all of

the sites that apply to your area of study:

Buddh(a) Buddh(ism) Buddh(ist)

Results: You will get all these sites