Use these boolean operators and techniques to refine your search:
Basic Operators
| Operator |
Description |
Example |
AND |
Both terms must be present |
comey AND fbi |
OR |
Either term can be present |
fauci OR niaid |
NOT |
Exclude documents with this term |
hunter NOT biden |
"quotes" |
Exact phrase search |
"Daszak, Peter" |
Wildcards & Patterns
| Pattern |
Description |
Example |
* |
Match any number of characters |
govern* (matches government, governor, etc.) |
? |
Match single character |
colo?r (matches color, colour) |
~ |
Fuzzy search (similar spellings) |
daszac~ |
Grouping & Priority
Use parentheses to group operations:
(FBI OR bureau) AND (Wray OR Comey)
Operator precedence (highest to lowest):
- Parentheses
()
- NOT
- AND
- OR
Search Tips
-
Case insensitive: Search terms are not case-sensitive
-
Default operator: Multiple words without operators use AND by default
-
Stop words: Common words like "the", "and", "of" may be ignored
-
Stemming: Searches may include word variations (run, running, runs)
Example Searches
"FOIA request" AND email
Documents containing the exact phrase "FOIA request" and the word "email"
(WHO OR "World Health Organization") NOT covid-19
Documents about the WHO, excluding covid
government* AND (corruption OR scandal)
Any government-related word with corruption or scandal
"Department of" AND (Energy OR Defense)
Documents mentioning Department of Energy or Defense
