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:

child? AND (television OR tv) AND violence

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

"same sex marriage" AND (amend? OR legislat?)

"gun control" AND legislat?

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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:

finance AND banking

"just war" AND iraq

"death penalty" OR "capital punishment"

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

(icc OR "intercounty connector") AND "montgomery county"

"speed camera" AND rockville

"school fees" AND (mcps OR "montgomery county public schools")

"cell phones" AND driving AND law

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.

For National & International Issues:

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.

CQ Weekly

--A weekly publication about the topics that lawmakers are discussing on Capitol Hill.

--Citation help: In the banner, look for the menu bar and select the CiteNow! link; in pop-up, use menu bar to change to MLA.

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 Complete

--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.

For Local Issues:

ProQuest 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.

The Gazette (Maryland Community Newspapers Online)

--Look for the drop-down menu and select "Montgomery County."

The Washington Examiner

Formerly The Montgomery County Journal. Includes information about regions in the DC-MD-VA area.

The Capital

--Published in Annapolis and a great source of information about issues before the legislature.

--Use the fewest number of keywords you can to describe your topic.

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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Helpful Starting Points:

State of Maryland

-- Use the search box to locate reports and documents related to your issue.

-- Use the link in the menu to locate the official site for your county.

Federal Government

Democratic National Party

Republican National Committee

The library has a six-page handouts for the MLA Works Cited Page.

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