Montgomery College Libraries > Pat Semple > RD120 Reading & Study in College Content Areas, Prof. Mainen

Reminders: If you have any trouble, send me an e-mail (pat.semple@montgomerycollege.edu) and I will do my best to reply within 24 hours.

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, and NOT
• Punctuation: quotation marks for phrases, parentheses with OR

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)

(children OR youth) AND obesity

"chesapeake bay" AND pollution

(television OR tv) AND violence

india AND (culture OR society)

  return to top

Go to the library's homepage, find the link for MC Library Catalog, and set "Select Search Type" to Keyword Boolean. Enter the phrase "short stories" and then the word "AND" and then the country or culture you wish to research. Notice the use of parentheses and the word "OR" for synonyms, related terms, or to allow for more than one country or culture:

"short stories" AND (japan OR japanese)

"short stories" AND (africa OR african)

"short stories" AND (jewish OR yiddish OR hebrew OR israel)

Renew Books: Go to MC Library Catalog and find this 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

  return to top

The Gale Virtual Reference Library

Copy & paste your search expression (what you used to find books and/or articles) into the Quick Search box.

Encyclopedia Britannica

A general encyclopedia. Enter keyword or phrase.

xreferplus

Use the Directory to drill down and find your information.

  return to top

SIRS Knowledge Source

Enter your search expression and select "Keyword/Natural Language." Results can be sorted by Lexile Score; a rating in the 800-1200 range is the average for a 12th grade student in an American high school.

National Newspapers

Enter search expression into Basic Search field.

Ethnic NewsWatch

Remember to adjust the "Ethnic Group" setting.

Academic Search Premier

Enter search expression in "Find" field and put checkmark in "Full Text" box. Results can be limited to Magazines or Newspapers from the bar at the top.

Expanded Academic ASAP

If you want your results arranged by Relevance, you must select Relevance Search in the blue menu bar before conducting your search. Otherwise, your Keyword search will be organized by date.

Results can be sorted by date or relevance. To print, use the button within the database. Here are some sample searches using keywords and Boolean operators:

afghanistan AND (kite OR kites)

pashtan OR hazara

china AND ("one child" OR "family planning")

marriage AND india

japan AND life AND (family OR work)

"eating disorders"

islam AND (veil OR burka)

body AND image AND (women OR girls)

caste AND india

"martial arts"

"female circumcision" OR "genital mutilation"

  return to top