Search field operators called Boolean Operators will help to narrow or broaden out a search. In PubMed, operators should be written in ALL CAPS.
AND
The AND operator conjoins two search terms. Each of the search terms or associated concepts must be somewhere in the record. You will have fewer search results.
Search terms | Results |
---|---|
cardiovascular disease |
2,418,733 |
chocolate |
4,743 |
|
|
cardiovascular disease AND chocolate |
368 |
OR
The OR operator links two or more search terms separated with the 'OR'. At least one of the search terms must be somewhere in the record. You will have more search results.
Search terms | Results |
---|---|
chocolate |
4,743 |
cacao |
3,520 |
|
|
chocolate OR cacao |
6,801 |
Nested Searching
A search that uses multiple terms, usually with an "OR" separating the terms, in conjunction with an "AND", should contain the OR'ed terms within parenthesis.
Search terms | Results |
---|---|
chocolate OR cacao |
6,801 |
cardiovascular disease | 2,418,733 |
|
|
cardiovascular disease AND (chocolate OR cacao) |
526 |
Field Descriptions and Tags
One way to narrow a broad search is to add a field tag that indicates to PubMed exactly where you want it to look for your keyword. Two of the most useful field tags are [title] and [title/abstract]. PubMed will only look in those locations for your exact keyword or phrase.
Search terms | Results |
---|---|
chocolate [title] |
1,335 |
cacao [title/abstract] | 1,059 |
chocolate [title] OR cacao [title/abstract] | 2,331 |
|
|
cardiovascular disease AND (chocolate [title] OR cacao [title/abstract]) |
217 |