Use the words below to search for useful information in books including eBooks and articles at the MJC Library.
To access eBooks if you're off campus, you'll need to log in just like you do for your MJC email and Canvas courses.
Doing some background reading at the beginning of your research helps you understand your topic right from the start. You'll be able to put your topic in context and create research questions that will drive your search for information to support the points you want to make. In addition, when you begin hunting and gathering information, you’ll know if what you’re finding is relevant and useful.
The list of sources for background reading below provide broad topic overviews to help you understand and place your topic in context.
All of these resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff. If you're working from off campus, you'll need to sign in just like you do for your email or Canvas. |
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.
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.
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.
Now that you've completed your background reading and have an idea of the points you want to make, you'll use the resources below to help you explore your topic further and to answer your research questions.
All of these resources are free for MJC students, faculty, & staff. If you're working from off campus, you'll need to sign in just like you do for your email or Canvas. |
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 topical, in-depth coverage of world history from antiquity to the present. Read about the background, outcomes, and contemporary points of view for the major topics in history from every region of the world. This is a great database for finding primary sources.
What's included: You'll find pro/con articles, timelines, and primary sources.
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.
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.
In addition, search Google Scholar to find scholarly information on the Web.
These videos come from an MJC Library Database named, Films on Demand. Once you click the image, you'll need to login just like you do for all of our other databases.
Breaking the Wall of Gender Inequality: How Gender Balance Can Transform the Global Economy
This video explores why gender equality will be a key condition for sustainable development – and how it can prepare the global economy for a more human-centered growth.
Gender Wage Gap: Supply & Demand
Research by the Cato Institute explodes the myth of the gender wage gap. The findings showed that overall male median income exceeds women's because many men work at jobs women will not or cannot do. An ABC News Production.
The Trouble with Working Women: An Inquiry Into Inequity Between the Sexes
This is a two-video series by the BBC that explores women's success and earnings potential.