To search multiple keywords at once, you need to use connector terms, also called Boolean Operators. Using a Boolean Operator will tell the database or catalog to connect the terms together in your search!
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AND combines search terms to retrieve articles. In a PICO(T) question this will be the major concepts like population, intervention, and comparison. AND narrows your search.
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OR combines all of your synonyms and related keywords. OR will broaden your search. OR is important, because it combines multiple terms. For example:
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NOT excludes terms from the set of search results. The use of NOT is generally discouraged, since it can unintentionally exclude relevant articles from your results. NOT will narrow your search.
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Type an asterisk following a word stem to retrieve a variety of word endings.
Example: searching prevent * retrieves records with the terms prevent, prevents, preventing, prevention, and preventative. Searching mobili* will retrieve records with mobility, mobilization, mobilize.
Type quotes around all phrases to ensure that the phrase is searched instead of each word individually:
Example: “public health” or '"affordable care act"
Refers to the use of parentheses to organize a search statement that uses more than one kind of connector or operator (AND, OR, NOT). Nest search terms whenever there's only one text entry box.
Example: (fatigue OR tiredness) AND (breast cancer OR breast neoplasm).