SIRS Researcher is a general reference database that contains full-text articles exploring social, scientific, health, historic, economic, business, political, and global issues. You will be able to find pro & con articles about controversial issues and current events.

Current Montgomery College students, faculty, & staff can access databases from on or off-campus. To access SIRS Researcher:

• Start at the Montgomery College Library home page: www.montgomerycollege.edu/library

• Click on Databases by Subject. Click SIRS Researcher under the Current Issues category.

• Off-campus or using a laptop on-campus: When you click on the link to the database, you will be asked to log in. Enter your Montgomery College ID ("M number," including the M) in the box. Problems logging in? Try the tips in our Troubleshooting Checklist.

There are several different ways to find articles & other sources in SIRS Researcher: Quick Search, Advanced Search, Topic Browse, and a list of commonly used topics.

• Quick Search: Enter your search words into the box on the SIRS main page. Before you click search, make sure you notice which search options are selected:
  • Subject Headings & Keyword/Natural Language: The Quick Search will, by default, search for your search terms within the Subject Headings that describe the content of an article. You can change this to search using Keyword/Natural Language, which will look for the words you type in any part of the article. This will probably bring you more articles than the Subject Heading search, but they may not be as closely related to the topic.
  • Images & Maps: The Quick Search will default to search all materials within the database, but you can also select specific kinds of sources. When you search for images and maps, you will find items that contain your search word in the caption.

• Advanced Search: Allows you to search using the connector words and & or between keywords, and also to choose which part of the article contains those words. This will give you a more targeted list of articles. Other advanced search options include proximity searching and Lexile scores (reading level). Contact a librarian if you would like help.

• Topic Browse & Topic List: Access the Topic Browse by clicking the tab above the Quick Search box. This allows you to select from a broad list of topics (e.g., Business, Environment, etc.), which will give you a list of narrower topics with descriptions. The topic list of Leading Issues is available on the main SIRS Researcher page, and includes the Top 10 Pro vs. Con articles used by students.
  

The number of steps you take to get a list of articles will depend on which kind of search you do. After your search is complete, you will see a page that contains an Overview of the topic and a brief Pro/Con section. Below that, you will see a menu that lists the number of each type of source available for that topic:

Click on the type of source to see the list of articles or documents available, along with a brief summary of each. To see the full text of an individual article, click on its title.

Look at the top of the article screen for the print or e-mail icons.

• Print: Click on the icon that says "Clean Copy for Printing" (at the top or bottom of the article screen). This will re-format the article. Then click on File > Print from your browser menu.

• E-mail: Click on the e-mail icon at the top or bottom of the article screen. Enter your e-mail address and click Send.