Tips on Searching Techniques

Certain techniques can be used to build a search expression.  To search for a book or an article you need to create a good search expression.  These searching techniques include keywords, Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) and punctuation.  Punctuation includes quotations marks for two words or more, parentheses for searching on synonymous words all at the same time, and truncation of words by using a ? in the MC Library Catalog and an * in most library databases.

Examples of a search expression:

          "USA patriot act"

          (immigration OR immigrants) AND jobs

          "global warming" AND "alternative energy"

          Politic* (? in the MC Library Catalog) = politics, politicians...