The Concept of the 'Imploded Boolean Search': A Case Study with Undergraduate Chemistry Students

Critical thinking and analytical problem-solving skills in research involves using different search strategies. A proposed concept for an "Imploded Boolean Search" combines three unique identifiable field types to perform a search: keyword(s), numerical value(s), and a chemical structure or reaction. The object of this type of search is to help refine, narrow, and speed the searching process for finding relevant information, which would otherwise yield humanly unmanageable result sets. This search strategy is introduced to third year chemistry students in an information literacy workshop using SciFinder, Reaxys, and Web of Science Structure Search. The aim of the workshop is to help students develop hands-on familiarity on the use of chemistry databases and search strategies for scientific information retrieval. The "Imploded Boolean Search" adds a new skill set to a student's arsenal of search strategies. A survey and training exercise are used to assess the workshop.