# Advanced Search Techniques
For more information on using generative AI to design searches, see [Enhancing Search Queries with AI](https://libguides.berlin-international.de/link/61#bkmrk-enhancing-search-que).
## Keyword Generally keywords are the default for search queries, and it's important to know how a keyword search works. Keyword searches will return results in which the keyword appears anywhere in the record, whether title, description, author, etc. A search for multiple keywords will return results in which both keywords appear anywhere in the record, not necessarily beside each other.Example: **industrial design** would return all results that include the terms industrial and design irrespective of where the terms were in relation to each other
## Grouping keywords with quotation marks An easy way to group keywords is to enclose them in quotation marks. This can be particularly helpful when searching for specific titles of items.Example: **'industrial design'** would only return results where industrial and design were located beside each other
## Boolean Operators (AND, OR, NOT)Example: **Bauhaus AND Albers** would return results that include **both** Bauhaus and Albers
#### OR Use the Boolean operator OR to combine search terms. The Boolean operator OR is helpful for search terms with varying spelling, e.g. o/ou or s/z in English; or when looking for a search term in different languages:Example: **'labor policy' OR 'labour policy'** would return results containing **either** labor or labour.
Example: **'industrial design' OR Industriedesign** would return results containing **either** industrial design or Industriedesign
#### NOT Use the Boolean operator NOT to exclude results.Example: **bauhaus NOT band** would return only results which include the term bauhaus but do **not** include the term band
Example: searching for librar\* would tell the database to look for all possible endings to that root. Results will include library, libraries, librarian, librarians or librarianship.
A question mark (?) may be used to represent a single character, anywhere in the word. It is most useful when there are variable spellings for a word, and you want to search for all variants at once.Example: Searching for colo?r would return both color and colour.
Wildcard characters can vary among search providers