• Use the plus (+) and minus (-) signs in front of words to force their inclusion and/or exclusion in searches.
  EXAMPLE: +art-dance
  (NO space between the sign and the keyword)

• Use double quotation marks (" ") around phrases to ensure they are searched exactly as is, with the words side by side in the same order.
  EXAMPLE: "Visual Education"
  (Do NOT put quotation marks around a single word.)

• Put your most important keywords first in the string.

• Type keywords and phrases in lower case to find both lower and upper case versions. Typing capital letters will usually return only an exact match.
  EXAMPLE: president retrieves both president and President

• Use truncation and wildcards (e.g., *) to look for variations in spelling and word form.
  EXAMPLE: librar* returns library, libraries, librarian, etc.

• Combine phrases with keywords, using the double quotes and the plus (+) and/or minus (-) signs.
  EXAMPLE: +"lung cancer" +bronchitis -smoking
  (In this case, if you use a keyword with a +sign, you must put the +sign in front of the phrase as well. When searching for a phrase alone, the +sign is not necessary.)

• When searching a document for your keyword(s), use the "find" command on that page.

• Know the default settings your search engine uses (OR or AND). This will have an effect on how you configure your search statement because, if you don't use any signs (+, - " "), the engine will default to its own settings.

Quick Tips for Boolean Searches

• In Boolean searches, always enclose OR statements in parentheses. AND operators should not be used inside parentheses.
  EXAMPLE: (college OR university) AND "financial aid"

• Always use CAPS when typing Boolean operators in your search statements. Most engines require that the operators (AND, OR, AND NOT/NOT) be capitalized. The engines that don't will accept either CAPS or lower case, so you're on safe ground if you stick to CAPS.
  EXAMPLE: "eating disorder" AND (bulimia OR anorexia)

- Search TCAP
Search for specific information in The California Arts Project Website.

- Search the Web
Search the entire web for resources or information regarding The Arts.