Find Your Place @ The MCC Libraries

Whenever you gather information to answer a question or solve a problem, that's research! We all research everyday and probably don't even think about it. Need to get a new phone, find a doctor, choose a movie, find the best gas prices in town, plan a vacation? These are all forms of research! When you think of research in the context of your college courses, it's a little different and more involved.

 With a college level research project, you will need to collect the right kind of evidence or sources to support your research while upholding to the guidelines outlined within your research assignment. 

Visit the Research Process Guide for further details on the steps to follow in the research process.

Every instructor has different criteria and expectations when it comes to research assignments. Carefully read your assignment and if something is not clear, follow up with your instructor.

Here are some key things you will want to know about any research assignment:

• What is my research topic? Will my topic be assigned or do I get to choose one?
  • Visit the Choosing a Topic Research Guide for help in identifying a topic.
• What types of sources will I need? How many sources will I need?
  • The types of sources may include articles from newspapers, magazines, and journals, books, eBooks, or open web sources. 
  • Many instructors specify the types of sources you will need and the minimum number of each type of source required for your research assignment.
• Are there date restrictions on the sources I can use?
  • Check your assignment - many instructors will give date restrictions on the sources you can use (i.e. published in the last 10 years)
• What citation style should I use?
  • The most widely used citation styles at MCC are APA and MLA. Check with your instructor to see if they have a preferred citation style that you should follow. Visit the Citations Research Guide for details on MLA and APA format.

There are two ways to search library databases, search them all at once using One Search or search individual databases/eResources.

One Search:

One Search is a great place to start when you are beginning your research. It comprehensively searches all of MCC's resources including physical books, eBooks, streaming media, and articles published in newspapers, magazines, and journals. Type your search terms in the box and hit search!

Databases/eResources:

If you want to narrow your search or search a precise database, choose the Databases/eResources tab of the toolbox. Choose either the Recommended Databases/eResources or the Alphabetical list of all the Databases/eResources. Choose a database relevant to your topic or subject and start searching!

oogle can be a great research tool but you need to be a skeptic and take advantage of all the tools you can apply to get more reliable, relevant results when searching the open web. Try Google Advanced Searching!

Here are a few research guides that can help:

Google Searching

Evaluating Web Resources