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History

LibGuides for history scholars.

Start Your Research

Starting Points for History Research

Ishtar Gate ReproductionHistorians gather and synthesize resources from a variety of places. Where you start your research will depend on your topic. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to use these resources to start your search:

  • WorldCat/Books+ - This links to our library catalog and includes materials like eBooks, print books, theses, dissertations, videos, music recordings, and much more. Books+ also searches libraries around the world. Start with a simple keyword search.
  • Databases - Searching individual databases returns better results than using Library Search. Three places to start include:
    • Academic Search Ultimate - Use this as a starting point to see which academic journals have published content related to your topic. Not seeing results? Expand your search using the link to "Choose Databases" and select all of the databases before searching for your keywords.
    • ArchiveGrid - Individual archival collections contain digitized and non-digitized materials related to your topic. Search for archival collections and then contact individual archives to access content. This is especially good for finding primary sources.
    • JSTOR - Humanities publications are the main focus of JSTOR collections. Find books, journal articles, and other content. Use keywords to narrow your search or try the Text Analyzer to find items related to a PDF version of an existing article.

Subject Terms and Keywords

As you review the individual items you have found during your search, you may notice that you need to change the keywords you use to expand your search. Subject Terms are found in Books+ and most databases; they usually refer to specific headings used by the Library of Congress or to subjects identified by the authors, publishers, or database administrators. Using Subject Terms will give you more precise results; several different subject terms may be related to your research topic.

Cite Primary Sources

Below are some commonly needed citations for primary sources in Note-Bibliography style. Examples are taken from Evidence Explained (2007) by Elizabeth Shown Mills. (Website: https://www.evidenceexplained.com/)

Archival Material  Example

Bibliography:

Creator. Artifact Title (Quoted Exactly). Item Type. Creation Date. Collection. Repository, Repository Location.

 Horst, “Aunt Elle,” et al. “Amish Friendship Sampler Album.” Quilt. Ca 1876-1900. Michigan Quilt Project. Michigan State University Museum, East Lansing.

Footnote:

1. Creator, Artifact Title, Item Type, Creation date; item number, collection; Repository, Repository Location. Descriptive detail relevant to the research project (optional).

 1. “Aunt Ella” Horst et al., “Amish Friendship Sampler Album,” quilt, ca. 1876-1900; item 01.0011, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum, East Lansing, Michigan. The archival description identifies the quilt makers collectively as “Friends of Annie Risser Horst.”

Private Holdings

 Example

Bibliography:

Compiler. Artifact Type. Creation Date. Current or Last Known Owner. Owner’s Location.

 Stabler, Zella (Lovell). Scrapbook. Ca. 1930-80. Privately held by Mrs. Stabler, Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Footnote

1. Item Description, Artifact Type, Creation Date; Current or Last Known Owner, Owner’s Location. [Optional: Add description and other information about the item as it related to the research].

 1.    G.B. Wuster obituary, undated clipping from unidentified newspaper, in Zella (Loevll) Stabler Scrapbook, ca. 1930-80; privately held by Mrs. Stabler, Williamsport, Pennslyvania.

Census information (digital) 

Example

Bibliography:

Jurisdiction. Census ID, Schedule. Item type or format. Website creator/owner (if from an archive website). Website Title. Accessed Date. URL.

 Iowa. Marion County. 1850 U.S. Census, population schedule. Digital images. Ancestry.com. April 18, 2013. http://ancestry.com.

Footnote:

1. Census ID, Jurisdiction, Schedule, Civil Division, Page ID, Household ID, Person(S) of Interest; item type or format, webstie title, accessed date, URL.

 1. 1850 U.S. census, Marion County, Iowa, population schedule, Lake Prairie, p. 290 (stamped), dwelling 151, family 156, Virgil W. and Wyatt B. Earp; digital image, Ancestry.com, accessed April 18, 2013, http://ancestory.com.

Vital Records

 Example

Bibliography:

Jurisdiction. Series. Repository, Repository Location.

 Maryland. Baltimore County. Marriage Certificates. Maryland Division of Vital Statistics, Baltimore.

Footnote:

1. Jurisdiction, certificate type & number (certificate date), id of person(s); Repository, Location.

 1. Baltimore County, Maryland. Marriage certificate no. 8734 (1967), Matthews-Harmon; Maryland Division of Vital Statistics, Baltimore.

 

 

Cite Sources using Citation Manuals