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This help document answers the following questions about full-text searches:

• What is a full-text search on an MGI query form?
• What does Boolean mean?
• What is a Boolean operator?
• How do I use a Boolean operator on an MGI query form?
• Are there examples?
• What about using wild cards?
• Are there any restrictions when performing query form searches?

See also:

• MGI Glossary for unfamiliar terms (or for how MGI defines familiar terms) and acronyms
• General Guidelines for Searching MGI
• Help Using Wild Cards

What is a full-text search on an MGI query form?

In full-text searching, the system takes the search terms you entered, searches for that text in all database records of the appropriate type, and returns a list of all records that contain one or more of the terms in the search string.

What does Boolean mean?

Boolean (an adjective derived from the name of English mathematician George Boole) refers to an expression defining the truth or falsehood of specific statements and their relationships to one another as indicated using Boolean operators.

What is a Boolean operator?

The most common Boolean operators are AND, OR, and NOT. For example, searching for all markers of the type Gene on Chromosome 2 is equivalent to identifying the union of the two sets:

1. All markers of the type Gene (Type Gene? = true)
   
   AND
   
   
2. All markers on Chromosome 2 (Chromosome 2 = true).

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How do I use a Boolean operator on an MGI query form?

MGI query forms allow you to connect search terms using two Boolean operators: AND and OR. Note:  There is a NOT checkbox for some fields on the query forms. To exclude items from a search, click this box.

Operator	Usage
AND	If you enter term1 AND term2, the search locates all records containing both terms in any order.
OR	If you enter term1 OR term2, the search locates all records containing either term1 or term2 or both terms.

Enclose terms in parentheses to specify the grouping in conjunction with Boolean operators; for example, (abelson or moloney) and leukemia.

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Are there examples?

If you search for...	the system retrieves documents containing...
spinal cord	"spinal cord" (does not apply to OMIM searches)
spinal or cord	"spinal" or "cord"
spinal and cord	"spinal" and "cord" (in any order)
spinal and (cord or column)	"spinal" and either "cord" or "column"

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What about using wild cards?

On many of the MGI query forms, you can use the asterisk  (*) as a wild card. There are a few special restrictions on the use of wild cards: see Using Full-Text Searches on MGI Query Forms for examples.

If you search for...	the system retrieves documents containing...
myel*sis	"myelocytomatosis," "myeloblastosis," etc.
*membran or membran*	"membrane," "membranous," transmembrane," etc.

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Are there any restrictions when performing query form searches?

See Using Full-Text Searches on MGI Query Forms for topics such as word stemming, partial word matching, using quotation marks and parentheses, and how to combine Boolean operators in your queries as well as examples of successful and unsuccessful queries.

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