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Current Issues: 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: Should the federal government be able to regulate content on the internet? 

Keywords: federal government, regulate, content, Internet 

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: 

  • federal government: Congress, legislative branch, laws
  • regulate: oversee, allow, freedom of speech, censorship
  • content: information, misinformation, language
  • internet: websites, social media, memes, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok

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: 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: 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 Current Issues

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 Current Issues:

  • CQ Researcher
    • Login Required
    Best Bet
    Weekly research reports on recent news topics and issues of broad interest in the public policy sphere.
  • Opposing Viewpoints (Gale in Context)
    • Login Required
    Best Bet
    Provides information and discussion about current social issues and topics in the news and includes arguments from different viewpoints. Contains full-text articles, opinion pieces from reference sources, magazine and newspaper articles, pamphlets, transcripts, statistics, and links to selected websites.
  • SIRS Issues Researcher
    • Login Required
    Best Bet

    Explore current global social issues, offering analysis, pro/con articles, government documents, primary sources, and news and multimedia content. Topics include business and economics, world culture and politics, civil rights, social issues, health, and more.

  • Alternative Press Index
    • Login Required
    Search journal, newspaper, and magazine articles from hundreds of international, radical, and left-leaning periodicals.
  • CQ Magazine
    • Login Required
    Provides full-text weekly coverage of U.S. Congress activities, including bill status, votes, amendments, committee updates, and in-depth reports on legislative issues
  • Environmental Studies (Gale in Context)
    • Login Required
    • Video
    Explore topics and events within Earth Systems, global change, pollution, populations, and more. Integrates case studies, news, reference materials, academic journals, and videos. The resource offers nearly 400 topic, state, and province pages across the science, social studies, and humanities curriculum.
  • Ethnic NewsWatch
    • Login Required
    Newspapers, magazines, and journals published by ethnic, minority, and native peoples' presses. Includes publications in English and Spanish.
  • Flipster
    • Login Required
    Access popular magazines via the web or your mobile device. Download the Flipster app to your iOS or Android device. Next, choose Montgomery College Rockville Library through the Find My Library search tool. Then, browse and read in the app.
  • Global Issues (Gale in Context)
    • Login Required
    International viewpoints on a broad spectrum of global issues, topics and current events. Find background information on countries, events and more. Access news, magazine, academic journal articles, statistics, etc.
  • International Newsstream (ProQuest Newspapers)
    • Login Required
    Provides articles from hundreds of the world's newspapers outside of the U.S. and Canada.
  • Military & Government Collection
    • Login Required
    News and scholarship related to all branches of the U.S. military and government.
  • Nation Archive
    • Login Required
    Full text for the complete archive of The Nation, 1865 to present.
  • National Review Archive
    • Login Required
    Complete archive of The National Review, 1955 to present.
  • Newspapers (ProQuest)
    • Login Required

    Search for articles from five major national and regional U.S. newspapers: The Baltimore Sun, Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.

Also known as scholarly articles, or academic articles. Some journal articles are "peer reviewed," which means they've gone through an extra review process before being published. 

When & Why to Use Journal Articles:

  • Information is based on research and expertise
  • Information is detailed and focused on a narrow topic
  • The peer-review process (mostly) ensures that the information is accurate
  • They add to a growing understanding of a topic by contributing new ideas 

If you are not sure of your research questions yet, return to the "Develop a Topic" tab on this guide and explore issues in the databases linked there. 

Search for Journal Articles on Current Issues:

RaptorSearch Logo

Research Skills & Tips: 

Magazine and newspaper articles can be a valuable source of information in research. Use magazines or newspapers when: 

  • You need up-to-date information about what was happening in a particular place and time
  • You need information written for the general public, not necessarily for an academic audience

Search for Newspaper Articles on Current Issues:

Search for Magazine Articles on Current Issues: 

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 Current Issues:

Many current topics in the Opposing Viewpoints series are also available as print books that may be checked out.  Search in RaptorSearch on your topic, and include the phrase "opposing viewpoints" (include the quotation marks) in your search.

RaptorSearch Logo

  • Environmental Studies (Gale in Context)
    • Login Required
    • Video
    Explore topics and events within Earth Systems, global change, pollution, populations, and more. Integrates case studies, news, reference materials, academic journals, and videos. The resource offers nearly 400 topic, state, and province pages across the science, social studies, and humanities curriculum.

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 Current Issues:

  • Environmental Studies (Gale in Context)
    • Login Required
    • Video
    Explore topics and events within Earth Systems, global change, pollution, populations, and more. Integrates case studies, news, reference materials, academic journals, and videos. The resource offers nearly 400 topic, state, and province pages across the science, social studies, and humanities curriculum.
  • Kanopy
    • Login Required
    • Video
    Collection of streaming videos in all genres, from documentaries to feature films 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.