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

As we discussed in the library instruction session, here are some reminders about how to locate the books, articles, and Web sites you will need for your research. Should you have any trouble in the weeks ahead, I hope you will send me an e-mail and let me know the nature of your problem. I will do my best to reply to you within 24 hours.

Find Book In Catalog: Go to the library's homepage, find the link for MC Library Catalog, and set "Select Search Type" to Keyword Boolean. Enter a short search expression; remember, books tend to be about broader topics:

violence AND (television OR tv)

"global warming" AND oceans

tobacco AND legislation

poverty AND (global OR international)

"health care" AND elderly

Some fruitful searches for your topic, capital punishment, can be found by using the following search expressions:

"death penalty"

"capital punishment"

Setting Limits: Remember that you can use the "Set One Limit" option to restrict your search to a single campus, to just videos, to just within the last five years.

Renew Books Online: Go into MC Library Catalog and use the My Account button at the top of the page.

Help: Speak to the reference librarian on duty or call the reference desk:

Germantown: 240-567-7853

Rockville: 240-567-7130

Takoma Park Silver Spring: 240-567-1536

Here are a few good places to start your search for journal articles:

Opposing Viewpoints

Scan for "Capital Punishment" in the list of Subject Headings in blue font.

SIRS Researcher

Look through the list of "Leading Topics" for "capital punishment" or "death penalty."

CQ Researcher

Click on "Browse by Topic" and search for "death penalty."

National Newspapers

Enter search expression in the search box.

To get to these databases (collections of journal articles and citations), go to the Libraries' home page and select the appropriate link under "Find Articles & More." All of these are listed on the left hand side of the page in the General Interest category.

Remember that your results can be sorted by date (most recent first) or relevance (highest occurrence of keywords).

To print an article, use the print button within the database, not the one in the browser.

FirstGov.gov

The official site for all government information. (U.S. Government)

Death Penalty Information Center

"[A] non-profit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information on issues concerning capital punishment." (Death Penalty Information Center)

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Their arguments against the death penalty. (ACLU)

Pew Charitable Trusts

Search for "capital punishment"; has some explanations for current law. (Pew Charitable Trusts)

Public Agenda: Crime, Sources & Resources

A list of Web sites for organizations that all have something to say about the death penalty. (Public Agenda)

Landmark Study Finds Capital Punishment System "Fraught With Error"

Press release about Columbia University study. (Columbia University)

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