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Reading: Find Sources

Search for Sources

The MC Library has access to different kinds of search tools: 

  • RaptorSearch searches across most of the information that you can access through the MC Library. Find books, e-books, streaming audio and video, and DVDs and CDs, as well as articles and other electronic resources from databases available through the library.
  • Databases are collections of articles, videos, images, or other types of sources. Some databases cover only one research area, like psychology or English. Other databases cover multiple research areas and are called multidisciplinary databases. Some databases are based on source type, like photographs or videos, instead of research area.

Use the tabs in the Search Tools box on this page to find suggested search tools to use for a variety of types of sources. 

MC students, faculty, and staff can access all of our search tools and online resources from on- or off-campus.

Research Skills & Tips:

Unlike Google, library databases can't understand an entire sentence. You'll need to break your topic down into the most important ideas: the keywords. Keywords are individual words or short phrases that represent the main ideas in your topic, thesis, or research question. 

Example Question: How can reading comprehension broaden the global perspective of students? 

Keywords: reading, comprehension, broaden, global perspective, students 

After you've identified your main ideas and some keywords to start with, think of additional search terms for each concept. These can be synonyms, related ideas, broader terms, or narrower terms. Since a database will match only what you type, using different terms for similar ideas can help you find more articles. 

Example Search Terms: 

  • reading comprehension: understanding, decoding, analysis
  • broaden: expand, change
  • global perspective: worldview
  • students: college, higher education, lifelong learning

Click on the research issue you're having below to see tips for addressing it:

I'm Not Finding Enough Sources

I'm Finding Too Many Sources

I'm Finding Irrelevant Sources

None of These Tips Solved My Research Issue


Not Finding Enough Sources

  • Type the word OR between related search terms to get results containing either term. Put the related search terms in parentheses.
    • Example: "reading comprehension" and broaden and (perspective or worldview) and students
    • Example: government and regulate and (internet or "social media")
    Diagram shows social media & internet highlighted
  • Use a truncation character (often the asterisk, *, but it can vary by search tool), which is a symbol added to the root of a word to tell the search tool that you want all forms of that word. 
    • Example: elect* will search for elect, election, elector, electoral, electorate, electing, etc.
  • Use a wildcard character (often the hash sign, #, but it can vary by search tool), which is a symbol that replaces any character in a word.
    • Example: wom#n will search for woman or women.

Finding Too Many Sources

  • Type the word AND between the main ideas in your search to get results containing all ideas.
    • Example: "reading comprehension" and broaden and perspective and students
    • Example: government and regulate and internet and "free speech"
    Diagram shows overlap between gov't & free speech

Finding Irrelevant Sources

  • Type the word NOT before a search term that you do not want your search results to contain.
    • Example: election not "united states"
    Diagram shows social media & internet highlighted
  • Type quotation marks around a specific phrase to get search results that contain only that exact phrase.
    • Example: "social media"
  • Use the search tool's filters to target search results that will meet your needs. You'll find filters on the search results screen. The exact location and filtering options varies by search tool.
    • Example: use a publication date filter to find sources published in the last five years.
    • Example: use a source type filter to find only articles or only videos.

If the options above did not help you find useful results, you may want to:

  • change your search terms,
  • select a different search tool,
  • make your topic broader or narrower, or
  • get research help from a librarian.

Research Skills & Tips:

After you've selected your search tool, identified keywords, and fixed research issues, it's time to choose your sources. It is common to get more search results than you will use, so you must evaluate the sources you find to choose the best ones for your research.

Start by scanning the search results to locate sources that fit your research question or need. The search results page will include information about each source, such as the title, year, and abstract, to help you determine its relevance.

Once you've found a source you'd like to use, evaluate its credibility by considering the evidence, source, context, audience, purpose, and execution of the source. Learn more on the Evaluate Information and Fake News guide linked below.


Research Skills & Tips:

Search Tools for Reading

Explore MC Library collections for support with reading skills and more. 

Suggested Websites:

Academic articles, sometimes also called journal articles or scholarly articles, are relatively short publications that academic researchers use to communicate new findings and ideas to other scholars. Articles are compiled in scholarly journals, which are essentially academic magazines that come out on a schedule. Many journal articles are peer-reviewed, which means they've gone through a formal review process before being published. 

When & Why to Use Articles:

  • You need information based on research and expertise.
  • You need detailed information that focuses on a narrow topic.
  • You need to find peer-reviewed material or ensure that the information you find is accurate.

Search for Articles on Reading:

  • Gale Literature Resource Center
    • Login Required
    Best Bet
    Comprised of information found in Contemporary Authors Online, offering biographical coverage of more than 120,000 writers; Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, featuring entries on all authors appearing in CLC since vol. 95 of the print series and complete profiles of 266 most studied authors from editions prior to vol. 95; and Dictionary of Literary Biography Online, containing more than 10,000 biocritical essays on authors and their works written by academic scholars. It also includes selected full-text, excerpted, and commissioned critical material from Gale's Literature Criticism and For Students Series.
  • MLA International Bibliography
    • Login Required
    Best Bet
    The MLA International Bibliography is a subject index for books and articles published on modern languages, literatures, folklore, and linguistics. It is produced by the Modern Language Association (MLA), an organization dedicated to the study and teaching of language and literature. The electronic version of the Bibliography dates back to 1963 and contains over 1.6 million citations from more than 4,400 periodicals (including peer-reviewed e-journals) and 1,000 book publishers.
  • Writer's Reference Center
    • Login Required
    Best Bet
    Writer’s Reference Center provides tools necessary to write and research effectively, including grammar, style, fundamentals of writing, dictionaries, and a step by step guide to writing a good essay.
  • Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
    • Login Required
    Search this database for reviews, records and other related information about children’s literature. CLCD contains reviews supplied by over 38 review media. Search by subject, age level, genre and curriculum tools.
  • Communication & Mass Media Complete
    • Login Required
    Includes full text for over 450 journals, cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for more than 570 journals, and selected coverage of nearly 200 more in communication and mass media.
  • JSTOR
    • E-Book
    • Login Required
    JSTOR includes archives of nearly three thousand academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select monographs and other materials valuable for academic work. Journals are included from volume 1, issue 1 and include previous and related titles; the most recently published issues (past 3-5 years) are not available.
  • Linguistics Collection (ProQuest)
    • Login Required
    This collection combines Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA), the leading index for linguistics, with full-text for many titles. It covers all aspects of the study of language including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
  • MLA Directory of Periodicals
    • Login Required
    Offers detailed information on over 5,500 journals, with 4,400 currently indexed in the International Bibliography. The detailed entries include editorial contact information, as well as frequency, circulation, subscription prices and submission guidelines.
  • Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive, 1902–2019
    • Login Required
    The TLS (Times Literary Supplement) Historical Archive includes over 300,000 reviews, poems, letters, and other articles - The complete run from 1902 to five years ago.

Scholarly books are nonfiction books usually based on academic research done by the author or authors. They can contain multiple chapters on different aspects of a particular topic, or they can focus entirely on one concept or idea.

When & Why to Use Scholarly Books:

  • You need to understand a complex topic. Books are generally easier to read than journal articles.
  • You need very in-depth analysis of a topic.
  • You need a broad understanding of one or more topics.
  • You need a summary of existing research on a topic.

Search for Books and E-Books on Reading:

  • Gale Literature Resource Center
    • Login Required
    Best Bet
    Comprised of information found in Contemporary Authors Online, offering biographical coverage of more than 120,000 writers; Contemporary Literary Criticism Select, featuring entries on all authors appearing in CLC since vol. 95 of the print series and complete profiles of 266 most studied authors from editions prior to vol. 95; and Dictionary of Literary Biography Online, containing more than 10,000 biocritical essays on authors and their works written by academic scholars. It also includes selected full-text, excerpted, and commissioned critical material from Gale's Literature Criticism and For Students Series.
  • Writer's Reference Center
    • Login Required
    Best Bet
    Writer’s Reference Center provides tools necessary to write and research effectively, including grammar, style, fundamentals of writing, dictionaries, and a step by step guide to writing a good essay.
  • Boundless (e-books and audiobooks)
    • E-Book
    • Audio
    • Login Required
    E-book and audiobook platform, including both fiction and non-fiction offerings. Sign in using your M# to access functionality such as placing holds, renewing titles, and adding titles to a wish list. Titles may also be accessed on mobile devices by downloading the free Boundless mobile app.
  • JSTOR
    • E-Book
    • Login Required
    JSTOR includes archives of nearly three thousand academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select monographs and other materials valuable for academic work. Journals are included from volume 1, issue 1 and include previous and related titles; the most recently published issues (past 3-5 years) are not available.
  • Loeb Classical Library
    • E-Book
    • Login Required
    Virtual library of Greek and Latin literature. Over 500 volumes available, including epic and lyric poetry, philosophy, mathematics, medicine, and many others.
  • Oxford Dictionaries Online
    • Login Required
    Offers searchable, comprehensive bilingual dictionaries and unique study materials that provide extra help with learning and using an expanding range of languages. Languages covered include: Arabic, English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
  • Oxford English Dictionary
    • Login Required
    Accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It is an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words, both present and past. It traces the usage of words through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources, from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books.
  • Poetry & Short Story Reference Source
    • Login Required
    Selected works of major and minor American and English poets, along with international poetry with representation from each continent (accompanied by English translations, when available). Includes Critical Survey of Poetry and Critical Survey of Short Fiction, over 712,000 full-text poems, both classic and contemporary, over 53,000 full-text short stories, both classic and contemporary, and 11,000 dramatic works.
  • PrepSTEP
    • Login Required
    PrepSTEP is an online learning platform that provides a selection of academic and career-related resources, including core math and English skills, placement test preparation, career and workplace preparation, college success skills. Users will need to create a free account to access content.

Research Skills & Tips:

MC Library has access to streaming videos and audio, as well as DVDs and CDs. Different types of video and audio include documentaries, educational videos, mainstream movies, radio interviews, and podcasts. Additionally, users have access to a variety of images that can be used in their research.

When & Why to Use Videos or Media:

  • You need to include an expert's point of view, and a documentary or podcast on your topic includes an interview.
  • You're doing a presentation and need to include a visual or audio element.
  • You need to learn a concept that is best understood visually.

Search for Videos and Media on Reading:

  • Kanopy
    • Login Required
    • Video
    TIP: Use Chrome or Firefox when accessing videos for best viewing experience. Collection of streaming videos in all genres - from documentaries to movies to training videos.

Find Sources

"Find Sources." Magnifying Glass.

This page will help you choose where and how to search for your sources. As you search, use the tips on this page to help you evaluate each source you find.

Journals by Title

If you want to locate a particular journal, magazine, or newspaper, instead of an individual article, use the Journals by Title feature in RaptorSearch. Search by publication title, such as Newsweek or Psychological Bulletin, or get a list of all journals on your topic by browsing through the journal categories.