MathSciNet: Subject Searches

Searching by Mathematical Subject Classification (MSC):

• Zoom in on very specialized literature.
• Or zoom out to find general expositions.

Example: Find a graduate-level exposition of group theory, offering many exercises on the Sylow Theorems.  First, we can try the new interface.

1. From MathSciNet, go to the "Search MSC" tab.  Find MSC 20-01: "Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to group theory" 
2. At the MathSciNet search box, click Show All Fields below the search box.  Clicking on field names generates correct syntax in the search box.
3. Use the field to construct input string, pc:"20-01" AND any:(sylow) AND pt:"book", in the MathSciNet search box.  This searches for books with MSC classification, 20-01, and with "sylow" anywhere in the review of the book.
4. Click blue magnifying glass icon at the right to search.
5. Open and scan results.  As of June 2023, there were 25 results.  Not too many.
6. Click on MR2987234 to read Adam Glesser's review of Antonio Machi's book, Groups: An introduction to ideas and methods of the theory of groups.  Glessner's review emphasizes the "copious exercises" and that "nearly every section has several well-chosen illustrations of the theory."  Glesser mentions "Sylow theorems" (which was a search keyword). 
7. Click on the link at the (misleading) word, "article", which takes you to the book in the Springerlink database (link also at book title in previous step).  
8. Find chapter 3 on "Group Actions and Permutation Groups."  Section 3.2 on "Sylow Theorems" does indeed have many illustrations of the theory and many exercises.

If you prefer the old interface, as of June 2023, it is still available at the bottom of the MathSciNet search page: click on "Previous Release"