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Mountain View High School

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Research

Research

  • Research Databases

    These databases provide scholarly, peer-reviewed sources to meet all research needs. 

    Start here FOR THE MOST ROBUST SEARCH

    Gale Power Search Gale Power Search logo with abstract light trails.

    Searches Global Issues, In Context High School, Opposing Viewpoints, and Gale eBooks all at once. 

    Open Gale Power Search

    The Gale databases

    Same platform, same search box, different collections. For more targeted searching, you can select specific databases to meet your research need.

    You need both sides

    In Context: Opposing Viewpoints

    Arguments and counterarguments on current debates, organized by topic.

    Use it when: you need a perspective that disagrees with yours.

    Open database

    You need a global angle

    In Context: Global Issues

    Topic overviews, news, and viewpoints reported from outside the US.

    Use it when: every source you have found so far is American.

    Open database

    You need background first

    In Context: High School

    Thousands of topics across literature, science, history, and social issues.

    Use it when: you are still figuring out what your question even is.

    Open database

    Science meets policy

    In Context: Environmental Studies

    Case studies, news, reference material, and academic journals across science, social studies, and humanities.

    Use it when: your topic sits between science and public decisions.

    Open database

    You need a definition

    Gale eBooks

    Encyclopedias and reference sources, which is to say the trustworthy version of the thing you were about to Google.

    Use it when: you need a term explained before you can read the research.

    Open database

    You need an author or a work

    Gale Literary Index

    A master index of authors and works published by Gale.

    Use it when: you are tracking down criticism on a specific text.

    Open database

    You need to see it

    Gale Interactive: Science

    3D models you can rotate and pull apart, for biology, chemistry, earth, and space science.

    Use it when: the diagram in the textbook is not clicking.

    Open database

    Everything else

    Separate platforms with their own search boxes. These are where the heavier academic sources live.

    You need scholarlyThe JSTOR logo, featuring an ornate white 'J' within a red square and the text 'JSTOR' below.

    JSTOR

    Peer-reviewed journal articles and primary sources. Denser reading, stronger evidence.

    Use it when: your paper needs an academic source, not a news article.

    Open database

    You need DATAThe Statista logo features the word 'statista' in dark blue text next to a dark blue square with a white curved line.

    Statista

    Statistics and charts on a huge range of topics, with the original study and date attached.

    Use it when: a claim in your draft needs data behind it.

    Open database

    You want to watch itA red graphic with a white play button icon and text reading 'ProQuest PBS Video Collection'.

    ProQuest PBS Video Collection

    Documentaries and series from PBS, and yes, you can cite them.

    Use it when: you want the shape of a topic before you start reading.

    Open database

    You need a whole bookProQuest Ebook Central logo with an open book icon.

    ProQuest Ebook Central

    A large collection of nonfiction books you can read online.

    Use it when: the best source on your topic is a chapter, not an article.

    Open database

    Asked for a password? On campus you should already be signed in. From home, some of these need a login, and the library keeps them all in one place: MVHS remote logins and passwords. Still stuck after two tries: come see Ms. Kemos in the library and she will get you in.

  • State Library Databases

    Provided by the State of California, these databases provide additional options for scholarly research.

    Start here TO EXPLORE TOPICSLogo for ProQuest SIRS Issues Researcher featuring a white balance scale icon on a green square.

    ProQuest SIRS Issues Researcher

    Sources are already gathered and organized around complex issues, so you can see the shape of a debate before you commit to it. Start with the issue you are curious about and follow it into the sources.

    Open SIRS Issues Researcher

    The ProQuest Databases

    Additional academic database options.

    You need scholarlyThe ProQuest logo features the company name in white text on a blue background.

    ProQuest

    Millions of articles from more than 10,000 full-text scholarly journals.

    Use it when: you need peer-reviewed research.

    Open database

    You need CONTEXTThe CultureGrams logo with the tagline 'People. The World. You.'

    CultureGrams

    Short, clear profiles of countries around the world: daily life, customs, history, and data.

    Use it when: your topic is rooted in a place you do not know well yet.

    Open database

    You want FOUNDATIONApp icon for ProQuest SIRS Discoverer featuring a white sailboat on a blue background.

    ProQuest SIRS Discoverer

    Articles, images, maps, and websites gathered around a topic, featuring the main ideas up front.

    Use it when: you want to get oriented in a topic before you go deeper.

    Open database

    Britannica

    Encyclopedia entries you can actually cite, in English and in Spanish.

    You need the basics, fastThe Britannica School logo features the words 'Britannica' and 'School' in white and yellow text on a dark blue background.

    Britannica School

    Entries on almost any subject, each one available in more than one version so you can pick how much depth you want.

    Use it when: you were about to trust the first Google result.

    Open database

    En españolBritannica Escolar logo with a thistle emblem.

    Britannica Escolar

    Contenido confiable en español, escrito en español y no traducido por una máquina.

    Use it when: reading or writing about your topic in Spanish would help you think it through.

    Open database

    Music, dance, and theatre

    Sources are performance rather than text.

    You need to see or hear itLogo for Alexander Street, a part of Clarivate.

    Alexander Street

    Music, dance, and theatre across hundreds of genres, from instructional material through full performances. Start with video, or open the whole collection if you also want scores, recordings, and documents.

    Use it when: your evidence is a performance, and describing it secondhand is not enough.

    Video content All Alexander Street content

    Asked for a password? On campus you should already be signed in. From home, some of these need a login, and the library keeps them all in one place: MVHS remote logins and passwords. Still stuck after two tries: come see Ms. Kemos for support.

  • Free Public LIbrary Resources

    The MVHS Library is proud to partner with the Santa Clara County Public Libraries and the Mountain View Public LIbrary to provide digital access to all MVHS Staff and Students.

    Login to access their many digital resources including peer-reviewed journals, encyclopedias, historical newspapers, the New York Times, and live tutoring. 

    Every link below opens a library login screen first. Enter your username and PIN listed as assigned below, and the desired resource will open.

    Santa Clara County LibraryLogo featuring abstract vertical bars in shades of blue, green, and yellow, with 'sccld' text below.

    Username

    S + your student ID + MVLA

    Example: S1234567MVLA

    PIN

    Your birthday: month, then day

    Born May 1? Your PIN is 0501

    Start here: Academic Search Complete

    Scholarly articles and research

    News

    Background and reference

    Get help from a person

     

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  • The Creative Commons logo, featuring the CC symbol and the words 'creative commons'.

    Creative Commons
    Images, videos, TV, music, and media available to the public for free and legal sharing, use, re-purposing, and remixing.
     
    The Library of Congress Collection logo features bold text in black and orange.
    Library of Congress Digital Collections
    Free access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music documenting the American experience.

    The New York Public Library logo features a lion's head within a circle.

    NYPL Digital Collections
    Access to over 700000 images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the collections of The New York Public Library.

    The Getty Images logo, white text on a black background. 

    Getty Images
    The world's largest photo agency, makes millions of its pictures free to use for embedding an image into a website or blog.
    The Wikimedia Commons logo features a stylized globe with arrows and text.​

    Wikimedia Commons
    Database of freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute.

  • The DocsTeach logo features the words 'DOCS Teach' in a blue square.

    DocsTeach
    Primary-source materials in a variety of media from the National Archives.

    The Digital Public Library of America logo features a square design with the letters DPLA.

    Digital Public Library of America
    Collections of US History primary sources searchable by subject or time period. (From the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA))

    Logo for Best History Websites, featuring a stylized 'B' and linked 'C' shapes.
    Best History Websites
    Categorized links to hundreds of evaluated sites.

    The Calisphere logo features an orange and gray design with text.

    Calisphere
    Themed Collections that explore California’s role in national and world history (from the University of California). 
    The CIA emblem, featuring an eagle and a star, is displayed above text.

    CIA World Factbook
    Provides information on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.

  • The logo of the American Philosophical Association, featuring a stylized 'P'.

    American Philosophical Association
    The IEP logo features white text on a teal background.

    Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
    The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy logo features a stylized figure and text.

    Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

  • A banner with a green and blue background and the Computer Source logo.

    Computer Source
    Ebsco Computer Source access through your account at the SCCPL.

  • The DOAJ logo features three overlapping leaf-like shapes in shades of red and orange, with the text 'DOAJ' in bold black letters.
    Directory of Open Access Journals
    A community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.

    The National Academies logo on a dark blue background.
    National Academies Publications
    Access to the free full-text of thousands of e-books published by the National Academies Press, as well as journals, news articles, and other publications focused on the sciences, engineering, and medicine.

    The NSDL logo features colorful blocks spelling out 'NSDL' with the text 'THE NATIONAL SCIENCE DIGITAL LIBRARY' below.
    National Science Digital Library
    Open-access digital library of high quality resources and tools for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.