Researching your chosen musical selection and composer/performer may be quite difficult. My first advice is to start early!
Many students turn to Wikipedia for their initial exploration of a topic. This is fine, but be sure to augment your research with sources you can actually include on an academic bibliography. Do not include Wikipedia on your Works Cited list.
Here are some suggested resources to consult early on in your research.
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians by 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.
Use books to read broad overviews and detailed discussions of your topic. You can also use books to find primary sources, which are often published together in collections.
You'll use the library catalog to search for books, ebooks, articles, and more.
If you need materials (books, articles, recordings, videos, etc.) that you cannot find in the library catalog, use our interlibrary loan service.
Search scholarly materials on the Web.
Why Use Databases?
The MJC Library subscribes to many databases filled with authoritative articles, book chapters, research reports, statistics, and more from thousands of respected publications.
Using the Library's article databases ensures that you're using the academically-appropriate sources your instructors expect you to use. Also, you won't have to cull through millions of unrelated Web pages that will waste your time and energy.
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Top Picks:
All of these resources are free for MJC students, faculty, and staff.
If you're working from off campus, you'll need to sign in. Once you click on the name of a database, simply enter your student ID (without the W) and your six-digit birthdate.
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.
This is a great database to use when you need to find information about a person. This Gale database includes more than 500,000 individuals from throughout history and from around the world.
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.