Boolean Logic Combining Searches in a Database We’ll start out with a subject search on electronic commerce.

Boolean Logic

Combining Searches in a Database

We’ll start out with a subject search on electronic commerce

This search needs to be narrowed. We need to add anothertopic. It’s not practical to skim so many citations. Plus withthis much information your paper/report wouldn’t have much focus

Too Many Records--Need to Narrow Search

Let’s add another topic to our research: the automobile industry.By itself this subject heading retrieves 17108 citations. What we’reultimately looking for is the use of electronic commerce in the automobile industry.

Add Topic Automobile industry

We use AND to combine both our topics

Combine Both Topics

The combination (or intersection) of these topics equals110 records.

AND Narrows Records Retrieved

You can see both subject headings listed here.

Look at Listing of Subject Headings

Combine Search Topic with a Specific Journal

Combining your search topic with articles from a particular journalis also a useful technique. You can restrict your search this way to journals that you know are in Feinberg Library. Try to figure out the field name that a database uses to indicate journal name. In this databaseit’s source.

You can see all these articles are from the journal HarvardBusiness Review

Search Restricted to One Journal

Two Topics in a Specific Journal

In this search we’re combining the topics hotels and motels withcost control. We use another AND to combine it with Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly.

Search Results

You can see these articles include both our subjects and arein the journal we specified.

Lexis-Nexis Basics

• Lexis-Nexis is a full-text database• This database doesn’t use controlled vocabulary• This database doesn’t have keyword or subject

heading searching• If you search using the “basic search” your

search will search through the full text• If you’re not careful, you will retrieve too many

records

Guided Search in Lexis-Nexis

• This option allows you to search for you words in only the headline or headline and first paragraph

• This allows you to be more precise

• Guided search allows you to avoid searching through the full-text

Guided Search

Click this tab

Guided Search

You can restrict you search to Headline or Headline and Lead Paragraph. Also note date of publication or journal nameoptions.

Search Results

Look for Internet Banking and security in the records.

Other Info in Lexis-Nexis

• Don’t forget to look at the other parts of the Lexis-Nexis business database such as:– Company Financial– SEC Filings and Reports– Industry and Market

• Some of these areas will be useful for your Final Project