You might wonder why some of your teachers insist that you use resources for your paper obtained from the MCC Library subscription databases and do not allow you to use websites. What is the difference, really?
- The sources included in library databases have been chosen carefully
- They are usually from print periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals, reference sources) that go through a review or editorial process prior to publication
- The search results more closely match the words or phrases you entered and are NOT based on popularity and other non-relevant criteria
- The library pays for access to the databases, and more of the content is full-text
- The databases include built-in citations in a variety of formats
- The databases make it easy to save, email or print content
- The content in the databases is not limitless, which is actually a good thing if you don't want to sift through thousands of results
- The database search features allow you to zero in on what you specifically want. For example, you can limit your searches by date, to full-text, and to scholarly sources
