For Option 1, you'll be writing about a campus resource at MJC. Your project will include a separate list called Works Cited and will most likely include a citation for an MJC webpage (see examples below).
Last name, First name. "Title of Webpage or magazine article or book chapter." Title of the Website or Book or Magazine in Italics, Name of Publisher (if different than the Title), Date---can just be copyright year from bottom of website or a specific day, month, and year), and URL (remove the https:// protocol).
If the page has no author, then put the title of the page in the author space.
"Mental Health Services - MJC." Modesto Junior College, 2024, mjc.edu/health/mentalhealth.html.
Beratlis, Stella. "Banned Books Week October 5 - 11." Modesto Junior College Library & Learning Center, 25 Sept. 2025, libguides.mjc.edu/blog/2025bannedbooks.
For this option, you are writing on an approved topic mentioned in one of the course readings thus far.
Examples given in the assignment include a how-to on annotating academic texts or a historical biography of Don Miguel Ruiz formatted as a set of instructions on How to Practice Mindful Living. Feel free to propose a different topic.
Regardless of your topic choice, you will reference and cite at least two of the course texts or articles plus whatever other outside source you bring into the project.
Writing a research paper doesn't have to be overwhelming. It helps if you just think of it as a project that has a series of manageable steps you take to complete it. You can use this guide to follow those steps. Remember, real librarians are here to help you along your way.
What topics can you explore? Are any topics off limits? How long is the finished product? When is it due? How many and what type of sources are required? Will you be describing, analyzing, comparing, solving, or persuading?
Research is an opportunity to explore topics relevant to you and your life. If your topic isn’t personally meaningful, the research process will quickly become tedious. If you have trouble connecting with a topic, your MJC librarians will have lots of ideas to help.
Think of preliminary reading as front-loading your learning: giving yourself the background knowledge and vocabulary you need before tackling the more complex content you'll use as your actual sources. Preliminary reading -- sometimes called background reading -- helps you to familiarize yourself with existing information, current research, and various viewpoints concerning your chosen topic.
This type of inquiry helps you evaluate the viability of potential topics and gauge your continued interested in exploring those topics. Preliminary reading can also help you refine or narrow broad topics into a manageable focus. Where are other researchers and writers focusing their attention?
To be clear, preliminary reading isn't about finding your sources -- though you may find some along the way -- as much as it is about finding and expanding your ideas.
Research questions help shape your paper, plus save you time as you focus on finding sources answering specific questions. As your research progresses, you may revise and even add to your questions. Research librarians are happy to help you develop some questions to get you started.
Use library databases to find high-quality sources answering your research questions. Follow the assignment’s source guidelines, and rigorously evaluate everything you plan on including in your bibliography. Be sure to follow the citation style set out by your professor.
It’s simple: the more you read, think and write about your topic, the more you’ll learn about it. Read your sources closely and often, tracking the information you plan to use. Get your ideas down on paper as they develop, and cite your sources as you go.
MJC librarians can help you get started with your project, and assist you with each and every step of the research process. Tutors in the L&LC will help ensure the grammar, spelling, and organization of your paper is turn-in ready. Visit us early and as often as needed!
For this option, you are exploring mindfulness/mental health topics, with an example of providing "how-to" instructions on a specific therapy approach such as CBT.
Whatever you choose, you will reference and cite at least two of the course texts or articles plus whatever other outside source you bring into the project.
Mindfulness and Meditation: Your Questions Answered
by
For all options, you will be referencing and properly citing at least two of the course texts (except for The Word on College Reading and Writing). The citations for all referenced sources belong in two places: First, they appear interwoven with the text where mentioned (also known as in-text citations) and second, you will list them in a separate Works Cited section or list.
Even if your outside source is a direct quotation (exact words) or a paraphrase (your own words describing the information), you must cite it in text and again in the Words Cited section or page. Here's an example of a citation where I've put in my own words what the source (the website) is communicating.
According to MJC's Basic Needs program, having access to basic resources like food and housing helps students achieve their academic goals ("Basic Needs").
"Basic Needs - MJC." Modesto Junior College, 2024, www.mjc.edu/basicneeds/index.html.
The Banned Books display contains an interactive activity, says Stella Beratlis. She writes, "The campus community is invited to visit the L & LC's Banned Books display to check out banned/challenged books represented in our collection and to note the title of a favorite Banned Book" (Beratlis).
Beratlis, Stella. "Banned Books Week Oct. 5-11." Modesto Junior College Library & Learning Center, 25 Sept. 2025, libguides.mjc.edu/blog/2025bannedbooks.
NOTE: Be sure to format your Works Cited entries using Hanging Indent format.
