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:
Top Picks:
All of these resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff.
Immigration is a complex issue that involves the law, the economy, and politics. 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 immigration.
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.
Precarious Protections: Unaccompanied Minors Seeking Asylum in the United States by 
The Border Within: the Economics of Immigration in an Age of Fear by 
The Criminalization of Immigration: Truth, Lies, Tragedy, and Consequences by 
Building Walls: Excluding Latin people in the United States by 
Melting Pot or Civil War? A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders 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.
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 29 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 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.
Find videos and documentaries about immigration in Films on Demand. These film resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff.
Type immigration in the search box to access videos on this topic.
Why search here? Use Films on Demand when you want educational video content. Teachers can embed videos in Canvas.
What's included: This streaming video collection contains unlimited, 24/7 access to thousands of videos. In addition, there are mobile options for iPad and Android.
For faculty: Instructions for embedding Films on Demand into Canvas.
Why search here? Kanopy is a video streaming database where you can stream thousands of films for free.
What's included: Kanopy includes a broad selection of over 26,000 documentaries, feature films, and training videos from thousands of producers.
For faculty: Instructions for embedding Kanopy into Canvas.
Use Google Scholar to find scholarly literature on the Web:
Browse Featured Web Sites:
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.