Although the MJC Library would like to offer open access to all of our research resources, license agreements with the publishers of our databases and eBooks require that only MJC students, faculty, and staff be given off-campus access to these resources.
Once you click on the name of a database, you login just like you do for your MJC email or Canvas courses.
Get help at Ask a Librarian
Library Materials Are Arranged by Subject:
All the materials in the library are arranged by subject. Like other academic libraries, we use the Library of Congress Classification System to assign call numbers to our materials so that books and other materials on similar topics are next to each other on the shelves.
Call Numbers:
You need to know a book's call number in order to get it off the shelf in the library. Call numbers are a book's address on the shelves; they tell you the subject of the book and make sure that books on the same subject are shelved together.
For More Information, Check Out the Links Below:
Look for:
Peer review is a process that some scholarly journal publishers use to ensure the articles they publish represent the best scholarship currently available. Peer-reviewed journals are sometimes called "refereed" journals. When an article is submitted to a peer-reviewed/refereed journal, the editors send it out to other scholars in the same field to get their opinion on the quality of the scholarship and its relevance and importance to the field. This means that when an article is finally published in a peer-reviewed publication, there is a consensus among experts that the information communicated in that article is of the highest quality.
Not all scholarly publications are peer-reviewed, though it is very common for professors to request peer-reviewed articles to ensure you are exposed to the most credible information within your discipline.
The specific nature of journal articles, combined with the use of specialized vocabulary, means they are not always easy to read for the non-expert. It it is recommended that students have some basic knowledge about their topic before delving into scholarly information. This basic knowledge might be gleaned, for instance, from some of our Background Information databases below. Be sure to scroll down the databases page to see these.
Google Scholar is a vertical search engine indexing only a select portion of the web. It searches across many disciplines to find journal articles, books, theses & dissertations, court opinions, and content from academic publishers, professional societies, and a select academic web sites.
Only some of the sources on Google Scholar are available in full-text format, though you can also connect Google Scholar to the MJC Library so it will identify those sources available through the our Library databases. To configure this, go to "hamburger menu" and choose Settings, then choose Library Links. You can link to the Modesto Junior College by typing it into the search box and selecting it.
There is no way to limit to peer-reviewed journals, but you can easily search journal names to determine their status.
An MJC Librarian can help you access Google Scholar, add the MJC Library to the settings, conduct effective searches, and determine if the journal articles you find are peer reviewed.
^ Basically, click the checkbox that says "peer reviewed" in the search filter options.
Why search here? Use this database to find engaging original articles written by scientists and science journalists in an easy-to-understand language, based on the most current peer-reviewed journal articles.
What's included: Original reports explaining important developments in biology, chemistry, the environment, space, physics, and technology.
Why search here? Use this Gale collection to find current information with the latest developments in hundreds of scientific topics.
What's included: Key subjects covered include the biological sciences, computing, engineering, and technology.
Why search here? Academic OneFile is a comprehensive database that you can use to conduct research on almost any topic.
What's included: This Gale database includes academic, peer-reviewed journal articles, magazines, books, news, and images.
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.
It is a best practice to use a personal content management tool to organize your own reference material which could be articles, data sets, books, websites, images and more. These tools will save you time and allow you to work more efficiently.
Reference management software programs, web tools, and browser extensions allow you to organize your research, collect and cite sources, create bibliographies in a variety of styles, add your own notes and keywords to your citations. Many reference managers work with word processing software to format in-text citations and bibliographies for papers and theses, allow you to share references, and enable you to attach or link PDFs to a citation record.
Definitions of what is primary or secondary differs across the disciplines. For the sciences, this is how we would define the different types of sources:
Primary source literature in the sciences:
documents the results of original research
is written by those who have conducted the research
includes firsthand information about their methodologies, data, results, or conclusions.
Secondary source literature in the sciences:
summarizes, compares, critiques, or interprets the primary literature.
Tertiary sources in the sciences:
are collections of primary and/or secondary sources.
Characteristics of primary sources in the sciences include:
Report original research, ideas, or scientific discoveries for the first time
Report results/findings/data from experiments or research studies
May also be referred to as primary research, primary articles, or research studies
DO NOT include meta-analyses, systematic reviews, or literature reviews - these are secondary sources
Are frequently found in peer-reviewed or scholarly journals
Should explain the research methodology used (randomized controlled trial, etc)
Frequently include methods, results, and discussion sections
Are factual, not interpretive
What's the Full Title of the Journal Abbreviation?
Scientific publications often include citations that have abbreviated journal titles. For example:
Kenyon L, Harrison NA, Ashburner GR, Boa ER, Richardson PA.1998. Detection of a pigeon pea witches’-broom-related phytoplasma in trees of Gliricidia sepium affected by little-leaf disease in Central America.Plant Pathol. 47:671–80.
In this example, Plant Pathol. stands for the journal Plant Pathology. To identify the title of a journal that you are looking for, consult the following guide to Scientific Journal Abbreviations (created by Kevin Lindstrom, Univ. of British Columbia):
You don't want to wade through millions of Web pages. By using a few tricks, you can focus your searches relatively easily to those authoritative, reliable sources you want to use.
You can search Google Scholar below:
Top Level Sites
One of the best ways to begin the Web portion of your research is by identifying top-level sites. It works like this: Think of what kind of information you want, and then try to think of an agency, organization, or institution who tracks and publishes information on that topic. For instance:
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For Information on… |
You might try visiting the… |
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Breast Cancer |
National Cancer Institute |
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History of football |
National Football League |
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Center for Disease Control |
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Air Pollution |
Environmental Protection Agency |
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Disappearing |
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Nuclear Waste |
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Top level sites will not only be a likely source of high-quality information on your topic, but will also often provide links to other relevant sites that you can use to learn more about your topic.
Other ways you can identify appropriate top-level agencies include:
You need to ensure that you're using the highest quality sources of information for your academic work. As you gather information for your research project, you'll look at many different sources: books, articles from databases, Web documents, interviews, videos, and more.
You can feel pretty confident that books you get from the library and articles you find in the library's research databases are reliable and credible because you know those have gone through a traditional editorial process; someone or some group has checked all the facts and arguments the author made and then deemed them suitable for publishing. You still have to think about whether or not the book or article is current and suitable for your project but you can feel confident that it is a credible, reliable source.
When you use sources from the Web there often is no editor. It is your job, then, to evaluate those Web sources to make sure they are reliable and useful. Remember, the first source that comes on from your search is not necessarily the best source to use for your research. It is up to you to be a knowledgeable consumer of information.
When you use Google or any social media to get your information how do you know it can be trusted? How do you know it's not biased?
You can feel pretty confident that books you get from the library and articles you find in the library's databases are reliable because someone or some group has checked all the facts and arguments the author made before publishing them. You still have to think about whether or not the book or article is current and suitable for your project but you can feel confident that it is a trustworthy source.
Make sure that each and every source you plan on using in your paper or research assignment passes the CRAAP test.
For more information on evaluating your sources, check out our CRAAP Test: Evaluate Your Sources guide.
Watch the brief video below to see how this works.
The MJC Library & Learning Center has a number of resources that can help and librarians can lead you to web resources that may also be useful. In addition to contacting the MJC Writing Center to get help with your papers, the following are some recommended books and web resources to help you write well:
The MJC Library & Learning Center has a number of resources to help you with your presentation; check the resources below or make an appointment with a librarian:
A Trainer’s Guide to PowerPoint: Best Practices for Master Presenters by 
Better Presentations by Images, songs, videos, other non-textual works are covered under intellectual property laws, even if they don't have a copyright symbol. If you're looking to use an image, make sure you either use public-domain work (no permission or attribution required) or look for material which is licensed for use (try searching for images licensed through Creative Commons).
However, for instructors and students, in general, images used in a classroom presentation, for a scholarly lecture, or in an unpublished assigned paper, fall under the concept of Fair Use or the TEACH ACT. Fair use is an exception to the exclusive rights granted by copyright. For further information, consult Circular 21 of the United States Copyright Office. So you don't necessarily need to ask for permission. However, you still need to provide an attribution for the image; technically, a entry for the image should go into your References list as well.
Keep in mind that if you want to present your image in a PowerPoint, it should be at least 72dpi, and about 1024x768 pixels.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service images
USA.gov image search. All federal materials are public domain.
Google Search (images). use limiter "site:gov"
Creative Commons Images search
Your image source should be attributed with both in-text citation as well as a corresponding entry in your References list.
Use a Caption: A reader should not have to refer to the text to understand the image. Explanatory text should include title, owner/artist and where the image is stored. In APA you must provide a copyright attribution in addition to citing item when you reproduce it in the body of your work. See Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, 2.12. p. 38. For educational projects, look to instructor's instruction for further guidance.
CITING images
In general, citing images can be complex. But don't fret; just do the best you can. Find photographer or artist's name; a date the photo was taken or when the image was created; where the original is stored; and where you found it (URL or publication information). Construct a citation as best as you can with that information.
Here's a quick guide from Cornell University.
The American Psychological Association (APA) is the author of a Publication Manual--which covers formatting and citation. It is based on the requirements of scholarly journals and intended for authors who want to publish their research and communicate with their fellow scholars in their particular disciplines. The 7th ed. of the APA Publication Manual introduces a new element: Student papers are now distinguished from professional papers and have been simplified to eliminate some of the publishing-specific requirements. That makes it easier for students who need to use APA for their college papers.
Whenever you use a citation style (ANY citation style!) you will be governed by that style in three ways:
Learn what APA Style is, when to use it, why you cite your sources, and how APA Style affects your paper.
Learn what plagiarism is and how you can avoid it.
Learn how to format your paper, see an example paper, and view a video showing how to use MS Word to format your paper
Learn the basics of formatting your References list, see citation examples, & access NoodleTools.
Learn how to complete in-text citations in your APA papers.
Learn how to create an annotated bibliography using APA Style.
