What is a natural language search?

Answer

What is a natural language search (NLS)?

Natural language searching allows you to search using everyday language instead of using keywords and Boolean operators. Natural language searching uses conversational phrases and relies on a database's algorithm to identify key terms and relevant results, whereas keyword searching involves using specific terms connected by Boolean operators like AND, OR, and NOT (e.g., climate change AND agriculture).

NLS Pros	NLS Cons
Useful results for broad topics	Ambiguity in language
Great for initial exploration	Difficulty in understanding context
Fast results	Limitations in handling complex queries

Tips for improving results with natural language?

Use complete questions to help the system understand context.
Review subject terms or keywords from relevant articles to refine later searches.
If initial results are too broad, try combining natural language with strategic keywords.

Natural language searching is a great start to the information seeking process, especially if you are new to searching in article databases. As you build your research skills and conduct more precise or complex research, refining your search with keywords, subject terms, and filters often yields more relevant results.