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Boolean terms and connectors for searches

Find out which Boolean terms and connectors you can use to refine your search results.
tip
You can combine connectors. For example,
(divorce or dissolution) /p (husband or spouse)
 will find documents that contain divorce or dissolution in the same paragraph as husband or spouse.
  • &
     — find documents that contain both terms. For example,
    sustainable & development
    .
  • or
     — find documents that contain either term. For example, dissolution or divorce
  • %
     — find documents that don't contain this term. For example,
    freehold % unregistered
     gives results that contain freehold but not unregistered.
  • ""
     — search for an exact phrase within quotation marks. For example,
    "adverse possession"
    .
  • /p
     — find documents that contain the terms in the same paragraph. For example,
    agm /p notification
    .
  • +p
     — find documents that contain a paragraph where the 1st term is before the 2nd.
  • +s
     — find documents that contain a sentence where the 1st term is before the 2nd.
  • /n
     — find documents where the 1st term is within
    n
     words of the 2nd. 
  • *
     — find documents that contain the term and any variations of the term possible by substituting the universal character for any character. For example,
    dr*nk
     would give results that contain drink, drank, and drunk.
  • #
     — find documents that contain the term but not its plurals and equivalents.
  • !
     — find documents that contain words that have the same root. For example,
    permi!
     would give results that contain permit, permits, permission, permissible, permissive, and permitted.
tip
You can combine search terms and connectors with field restrictions.

This article applies to:

  • Product: Practical Law
  • Subject: Search

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