Which Boolean operator should you use to ensure certain terms are not included in a search result?

The Boolean operator that should be used to ensure certain terms are not included in a search result is "NOT." When you use this operator in a search query, it effectively excludes any results that contain the term following "NOT." This is particularly useful when you want to refine your search results and focus only on the information that is relevant to your needs while omitting unwanted terms.

For example, if you are searching for information on "cats NOT dogs," the search will return results that mention cats but will filter out any results that also include the term "dogs." This functionality makes "NOT" a powerful tool for narrowing down search results to be more specific and targeted.

The other operators serve different functions: "AND" combines search terms to include only results that contain all specified terms, "OR" broadens the search to include results that contain any of the specified terms, and "XOR" (exclusive OR) is less commonly used in basic search queries, typically representing a situation where results can contain one term or another, but not both.