CQ Researcher offers in-depth reports on current affair and recurring controversial issues. The reports include a list of additional reading and links to selected, high quality internet sites. This handout explores this database step by step.

Accessing CQ Electronic Library

1) To search CQ Researcher, scroll down to the Databases A to Z area on the library web page and select C. Scroll down. CQ Researcher Online is near the bottom of the list.

2) If you are completely stuck for a topic, feel free to glance at the Featured Report in the page's center or at Recent Reports in a ribbon at the bottom of the page.

3) You can also Browse by Hot Topics or Most Viewed in a facet box on the right side of the page.

4) You can also Browse Topics or Browse Reports (Selecting Pro-Con for controversy!) by clicking the drop down menus from the ribbon at the top of the page.

5) For keyword searching, CQ Researcher Online's search engine is in the amber bordered box in the top right corner of the page. 6) For two concept topics or more space for searching, try Advanced Search in the small, dark gray letters below the keyword search box.

Getting the Most from CQ Researcher Online's Search Engine

1) The most important part of any search begins before your fingers touch the keyboard. Look at your topic and pick out its two most important concepts. For example, if you are interested in the melting arctic sea ice, your search will probably look like ice AND Arctic. The AND is not a word. It is a mathematical operator that stands for the overlap of two ideas much like the circles in the diagram below. Here is how CQ Researcher sees your search.

Type your search into the amber bordered box and click the charcoal colored button with the magnifying glass. CQ Researcher presents you with a list of reports that may or may not fit your topic.

Note: if you do not see a report that is a good fit, either rephrase your search or try another database. CQ Researcher covers only the most popular topics and is not always extremely current. LexisNexis and EBSCO Academic Search Complete handle a greater range of, more specialized, and more current subjects.

2) Select your report by clicking on its bold face, black title.

3) Once you open your report, there may also similar links to similar reports in the Issue Tracker box in the top right corner of each report.

4) Reports end with a Bibliography (a Works Cited) and a section called Next Step (another Works Cited), which include carefully selected web pages, as well as references to articles and books. Remember, items in a Works Cited are usually no more current than the article that lists them.

5) To print your report, choose Full Report in the scroll box that contains the word, Print at the top of the report. You can also print only selected parts of a report.

6) To email a report, click Full Report in the scroll box that contains the words: Email a Link Back to.

7) To save a report, click View PDF. Then save the resulting file to a flash drive.

8) To revise your search, click the Home link in BOLD UPPERCASE near the top of the screen.

9) To end a CQ Researcher session, close the browser tab or click your browser's Home icon.