Home - ENGL 101 - Craane - Unjust Laws - Research Guides at Modesto Junior College Library

Sources to Help with Picking a Topic

Issues & Controversies This link opens in a new window Why search here? This is a great database to use when you want to explore different viewpoints on controversial or hot-button issues. What's included: It includes pro/con articles, court cases, primary sources, videos, media, editorials, and news on more than 800 hot topics in business, politics, government, education, and popular culture. Use the search or browse topics by subject or A to Z.

World Report 2024: Human Rights Watch
A report on laws throughout the world (choose a country from the menu)
Heritage Foundation
Click "Explore Issues" for a menu of topics from a conservative perspective
Issues: Southern Poverty Law Center
Civil rights legal activism

Get more ideas from these MJC Library Research Guides:

Systemic Racism
Migration from Central America
Gun Control
Abortion
California Ballot Propositions 2024
Solutions to Oppression (current movements in reaction to oppression throughout the world)

Start with Background Reading

Use the Gale eBooks database (link is below) to find short overview articles on topics related to your research.

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Use this database for preliminary reading as you start your research. You'll learn about your topic by reading authoritative topic overviews on a wide variety of subjects.
What's included: Gale eBooks is comprised of subject, specialized encyclopedias with articles written by scholars and experts.

MJC Encyclopedias on Legal Issues
Explore these specialty encyclopedias, all available as Gale eBooks

Database for good background articles on U. S. topics

CQ Researcher Online This link opens in a new window Why search here? Use this database when you want to find comprehensive, unbiased reporting and analysis to get background information on issues in the news.What's included:  Overview reports of topics related to health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy in America.

Database for good background articles on international topics

Gale In Context: Global Issues This link opens in a new window Why search here? Use this database when you want to explore your topic from a global perspective or to analyze and understand the most important issues of the modern world with a global awareness. What's included: You'll find news, global viewpoints, reference materials, country information, primary source documents, videos, statistics, and more.

Recommended Databases for Further Research

Access World News This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Use Access World News when you need to find current news stories. It's especially useful for local and California news. This is your source for The Modesto Bee from January 1989 to the present.
What's included: Articles from of local, regional, and national U.S. newspapers as well as full-text content of key international sources. It includes in-depth special reports and hot topics from around the country.

Watch this short video to learn how to find The Modesto Bee.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Use this database to find credible sources for topics in law, political science, and business. This is your source for law review articles and court cases.
Nexis Uni includes:
• Print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts,
newswires and blogs
• Local, regional, national and international newspapers
with deep archives
• Extensive legal sources for federal and state cases and
statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions
since 1790
• Unparalleled business information on more than
80 million U.S. and international companies and more
than 75 million executives

View online tutorials here
EBSCOhost Databases This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Search 22 databases at the same time that cover almost any topic you need to research at MJC. This is a good resource to use when you want to delve deeper into your subject.
What's included: EBSCO databases include articles previously published in academic journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and other media outlets.
Gale Databases This link opens in a new window
Why search here? When you want to find broad coverage on almost any topic you need to research at MJC, use Gale databases to search over 35 databases simultaneously.
What's included: Gale databases include articles previously published in journals, magazines, newspapers, books, and other media outlets.