Water policy and the drought are complicated issues. You may want to start with this series of videos on water issues in California produced by the Public Policy Institute of California. Access the whole play list on YouTube.
Background Reading:
It's important to begin your research learning something about your subject; in fact, you won't be able to create a focused, manageable thesis unless you already know something about your topic.
This step is important so that you will:
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 birth date.
Top Picks:
All of these resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff.
The drought and water use are complex issues that involve the law, the economy, politics, and every citizen. You could concentrate on one issue and do in-depth research on that, or use several of the questions below to focus more generally on the topic of the drought.
Much of the latest information on the California drought is on the web. Use these credible websites to find recent documents and reports.
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.
Drought : An Interdisciplinary Perspective by 
Drought, Water Law, and the Origins of California's Central Valley Project by All of these resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff.
Search using the Key Search Words in this guide, or use words more specific to your topic.
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 birth date.
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.
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.
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.
Your instructor should tell you which citation style they want you to use. Click on the appropriate link below to learn how to format your paper and cite your sources according to a particular style.
