When searching in databases like 
PsycINFO, it's important to
consider how you're combining your 
terms while doing a search.
On the "Advanced Search" page, you can see 
that each line in our search is
separated by a drop-down box, which has 
three options once clicked:
AND, OR, and NOT. These are called Boolean operators
and are used to combine or exclude terms in a search.
AND, the default operator, is used to combine 
DISTINCT concepts in a search.
So by searching "social norms" AND 
bullying AND adolescen*,
I'm telling the database that I only want results where
each of these three terms is present. This is 
going to NARROW our results,
because it's only retrieving articles where 
all of these terms appear.
OR is most often used to combine RELATED 
concepts or synonyms in a search.
For example, I might be interested in 
articles that discuss
adolescents OR teenagers. I can add a 
truncated keyword (teen*) to
the third search line, which tells the 
database that I want results
where EITHER adolescents or teenagers 
appear. This is going to
BROADEN the results, because it's retrieving articles
where either or both of these terms appear.
NOT is used when you want to EXCLUDE 
certain terms from your search.
For example, I may only be interested 
in how social norms
affect bullying in adolescents, NOT children.
NOT can be a way to narrow down your 
search if you're getting
too many unwanted results; however, it's best 
to use this operator with caution,
as it runs the risk of excluding results that 
may still be relevant to your search.
When used in proper combination, 
Boolean operators are a great way
to focus your search and produce meaningful 
results. Using our example,
we've told the database that we want articles 
where BOTH social norms
and bullying must appear in connection with 
EITHER adolescents or teenagers.
Try different combinations of keywords 
and Boolean operators
to see how it influences your results!
