Keyword searching and natural language searching are two different approaches to finding information, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Here's a breakdown of the key differences:
Keyword Searching: Uses individual keywords or short phrases to find information in a database or search engine.
Example: "social media" AND ("mental health" OR "wellbeing") AND "college student"
Natural Language Searching: Using full sentences and questions stated in commonly spoken phrases to find information.
Example: Asking "What are the impacts of social media on the mental health of college students?"
In summary, keyword searching is like looking for a specific address in a city map, while natural language searching is like asking a local resident for directions. Both can get you to your destination, but one may be faster and more direct, while the other may reveal hidden gems along the way.
Ultimately, the best approach depends on your specific needs and the nature of the information you're seeking. For precise searches, keyword searching may be more efficient. But for natural language queries, exploring information with less strict keyword constraints, or when you're not sure of the exact keywords, natural language searching can be a powerful tool.
Boolean Operators are words that connect search terms or key words together to broaden or narrow the results retrieved. In library research they are often used with the library's research databases or the library catalog.
The three Boolean operators are AND, OR, and NOT.
One way to visualize Boolean Operators is to use a Venn diagram.
