The MC Library has access to different kinds of search tools:
Use the tabs in the box below to find suggested databases or other search tools to use for a variety of types of sources.
MC students, faculty, and staff can access all of our search tools and online resources from on or off-campus.
Research Skills & Tips:
Unlike Google, library databases can't understand an entire sentence. You'll need to break your topic down into the most important ideas: the keywords.
Keywords are individual words or short phrases that represent the main ideas in your topic, thesis, or research question.
Example Question: What was the role of women during the industrial revolution of America?
Keywords: women role, American industrial revolution
After you've identified your main ideas and some keywords to start with, think of additional search terms for each concept. These can be synonyms, related ideas, broader terms, or narrower terms. Since a database will match only what you type, using different terms for similar ideas can help you find more articles.
Example Search Terms:
Now that you have identified keywords, you will enter them in your chosen search tool's search box. Try more than one combination to find different sources.
Use the search operators AND & OR to combine your search terms. Use quotation marks to search for a specific phrase, with the words in that exact order: "social media"
Use AND between your main ideas to narrow your search (all words will be found in each source):
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Use OR to look for related search terms, in one search (at least one of the search words will be found in each source). This will increase the number of sources you find. Put related search terms in parentheses, and combine with other terms:
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Research Skills & Tips:
Filter Results:
To make your results more manageable, use the database filters to limit your search results. For example:
These options may be found in different locations of a database’s results page. In RaptorSearch, filter options are found on the left.
You can also set these options before you search from the Advanced Search screen in most databases.
Sort Results:
Most database search results will be sorted by relevance. You can change this to sort by newest first, oldest first, etc. Look for the sort options near the top of the results list.
Author Information:
Databases for Author Information:
When & Why to Use Scholarly Books:
Where to Go in the Library for Books on History:
General books on U.S. History are organized chronologically in the section labeled "E" and "F".
American history from the colonial period through 1865 is in sections E186 to E655.
Browse the library shelves in these call number areas to find materials relating to the history of the U.S. and its regions.
E 186 - 199 Colonial history (1607-1775)
E 201 - 298 Revolution, 1775-1783
E 300 - 453 Revolution to the Civil War, 1775/1783-1861
E 456 - 655 Civil War period, 1861-1865
F 1 - 975 United States Local History
Search:
Research Skills & Tips:
Articles and Book Reviews in Academic Journals:
Also known as scholarly articles, or academic articles. Some journal articles are "peer reviewed," which means they've gone through an extra review process before being published.
When & Why to Use Journal Articles:
Search:
Publications Information:
You can find very short reviews (usually one paragraph) in Books in Print, but these are not from scholarly journals. If you cannot find a review anywhere else, sometimes a reference to a review is listed on Title Reviews page in Books in Print.
Reviews from magazines like Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, or School Library Journal are intended for librarians and booksellers that are purchasing books for their library or bookstore.
Investigate the Historical Period in More Sources:
Newspapers are another good source of articles and reviews on current topics.
Primary sources are original materials from people who have a direct connection with the event being investigated. Examples include speeches, diaries, letters, images, artwork, interviews, music, or other items created during the time of the event.
When & Why to Use Primary Sources
The MC Library has access to streaming videos and audio (as well as DVDs and CDs). You can find documentaries, educational videos, and mainstream movies.
When & Why to Use Videos:
Search:
To find sources, start by thinking about your research questions and the type of information you need. For example, you may need to search in different places to find statistics than you would if you need to find images.
This page provides tips for how to develop a search strategy and also links to search tools you can use to find specific types of sources.
As you search, consider the tips on the Evaluate Sources page, and assess each article, book, website or other source that you find.