Montgomery College Libraries > Pat Semple, Librarian > EN102 Techniques of Reading & Writing II

A search expression that uses Boolean operators is one of the best ways to pinpoint information in a library catalog, database, or search engine. There are three components to Boolean search expressions:

• Keywords: tend to be the nouns that best describe a topic
• Boolean Operators: AND, OR, NOT
• Punctuation: quotation marks for phrases, parentheses with OR, truncation symbol (? in catalog, * in databases) for word roots

Here are some sample searches using keywords and Boolean operators:

("avian flu" OR "bird flu" OR "avian influenza")

"global warming" AND (oceans OR "marine life" OR coast)

(child? OR youth) AND obesity

"chesapeake bay" AND pollut*

(television OR tv) AND violence

iraq AND shiites AND sunnis

"third world" AND debt

("european union" OR eu) AND turkey

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MC Library Catalog: Open MC Library Catalog and change the search engine setting to "Keyword Boolean" and create a Boolean Search Expression. There are three components to Boolean search expressions:

• Keywords: tend to be the nouns that best describe a topic
• Boolean Operators: AND, OR, and NOT
• Punctuation: quotation marks for phrases, parentheses with OR, question mark (?) for truncation to word root

Books By Topic: Start by combining only two or three keywords, as "less is more" when searching for books:

marijuana AND medic?

"just war" AND iraq

peace AND diploma?

terror? AND ("civil rights" OR privacy)

"death penalty" OR "capital punishment"

"affirmative action"

Request Book From Another Campus: Go into MC Library Catalog and use the REQUEST ITEM button (pictured at right).
Renew Books Online: Go into MC Library Catalog and use the MY ACCOUNT button (pictured at right).

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ReferenceUniverse

This is an online tool that enables you to search all of the library's encyclopedias, print and electronic, simultaneously. NOTE: Remember put a checkmark in the box labeled "Display All Reference Universe Works."

Encyclopedia Britannica Online

Enter one or two keywords, or explore your topic using "Research Tools" menu on the left.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Enter one or two keywords, or drill down using the categories.

Credo Reference

Use the topic categories to drill down or put a short search expression in the Search box.

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Searching: Here are some sample searches using keywords and Boolean operators. Remember that in the databases, the truncation symbol is an asterisk (*):

child* AND (television OR tv) AND violence

juvenile AND ("death penalty" OR "capital punishment")

"same sex marriage" AND (amend* OR legisl*)

"gun control" AND legislation

"self image" AND (commercial OR advertisement OR ad)

(gender OR race) AND stereotype

"no child left behind" AND (hispanic OR immigrant)

Sorting: Results can be sorted by date (most recent first) or relevance (highest occurrence of keywords).

Printing: For best results, use the Print button provided by the database publisher before submitting via the browser's print menu.

Search By Subject: These databases that can be searched by drilling down through a pre-set list of topics, which is often helpful as you are trying to understand the various pros and cons of an issue. To search any of them by Boolean search expression, follow the instructions in the notes:

Opposing Viewpoints

--Use blue Subject Headings on opening page to search by topic, or select "Search By Keyword" and enter Boolean search expression.

--Citation help: Right above the title of the article, click on the link "How to Cite"; in pop-up, select MLA and click on Save button.

SIRS Knowledge Source

--Scan the list of "Leading Issues" for the subject that best describes the topic, or select "Keyword/Natural Language" and enter Boolean search expression.

--Citation help: Will not generate any citations, but will give you required components if you click on Source icon/hyperlink.

CQ Researcher

--Contains 30-page reports on a variety of current events.

--Citation help: Above the article title, look in the blue menu bar for CiteNow! link; in pop-up, use menu bar to change to MLA.

Search By Boolean Expression: Here are the three best places to start your search for articles. These require Boolean search expressions; refer to the examples above or click on the Help or Search Tips buttons:

Academic OneFile

--A very large collection of many different types of publications; a good place to start your research.

--Citation help: To the right of article title, look in red Tools box for Citation Tools; in pop-up, select style and click on Save button.

Academic Search Premier

--Another very large collection of a range of publications; also a good place to start your research.

--Citation help: Above article title, use Print or Save or Email to generate citation in style of your choice; in the Manager pop-up, look in grey box for radio buttons and Citation Format.

National Newspapers

--If you want opinion pieces, click on the tab near the bottom entitled "More Search Options" and change "Document Type" to "Editorial."

--Citation help: Above article title, in yellow bar, click on Cite This; in pop-up, use drop-down menu to select citation style.

Specialty Databases: For the complete listing of subject-specific databases, which include ones especially for topics related to business, mass media, health, ethnic issues, gender issues, criminal justice, education, science, and psychology, go to the source:

Databases by Subject

   * * * ALL DATABASES * * *

A complete listing of the College's databases organized by topic.

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The library has six-page handouts for both the MLA Works Cited Page and the APA Reference List.

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