HomeTools › Search-string builder

Boolean search-string builder

Break your topic into concept blocks. Terms within a block are joined with OR; the blocks are joined with AND. Pick your database and slide to tighten or loosen.

Tight (precision)BalancedLoose (recall)
Add some terms above...
Not sure your string is right?

Building a defensible search string is the foundation of a publishable review. Learn it hands-on in the workshop, or get the free Journal Selection Checklist - WhatsApp "CHECKLIST".

Get checklist

How this tool builds your string

A good systematic-review search has two rules: synonyms of the same idea are combined with OR, and different ideas are combined with AND. So "greenwashing OR green-washing" (one concept) AND "consumer OR customer" (another concept) finds papers that discuss both ideas together. This tool wraps each block in parentheses and applies the right field tags for your database automatically.

Tight vs loose - when to use which

Slide to tight when you're getting thousands of irrelevant hits: it adds phrase quotes and, where supported, proximity operators so terms must appear near each other. Slide to loose when you're missing papers you know exist: it adds truncation wildcards (e.g. sustainab*) to catch word variants and widens the field scope. Start balanced, run the search, then adjust based on what comes back - and always record your final string for the methodology section.