Databases on History:
Multidisciplinary Databases:
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:
Newspaper Articles
Research Skills & Tips:
Primary Sources:
Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it.
Examples of primary source formats include:
Use the databases below to locate primary sources for your assignment:
When & Why to Use Scholarly Books:
Search:
Research Skills & Tips:
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:
Search: African American History
Suggested Databases: African American History
Suggested Websites: African American History
Search: African History
Suggested Websites: African History
Search: Ancient History
Reading Papyri, Writing Ancient History by
The ancient Mediterranean world brought to us by Herodotus, Thucydides and Tacitus is one of politics, war and the power elite of Greece and Rome. There was another ancient world, in which ordinary people made a living, sold land, ran their towns and sued one another. This is the world that the papyri bring to life; this book is about how they do so. Reading Papyri, Writing Ancient History demonstrates how historians can put together information from scattered and often badly damaged documents to build up a picture of the society, economy and culture of the multicultural world of antiquity. Through discussion of contemporary historical work on the documents, Roger Bagnall scrutinises alternative ways of approaching these sources. He shows how the ancient historian can use the methodologies of anthropology, comparative history and statistics alongside more traditional tools to turn these texts into questions and answers. Students and teachers of ancient history will find Reading Papyri, Writing Ancient History an indispensable guide to using these ancient texts in their own work.
Suggested Databases: Asia and Pacific History
Reference Sources: Asia And Pacific History
Encyclopedia of India
Home to a fifth of the world's population and the largest democracy in the world, India holds a prominent place in current events yet remains unknown or misunderstood by many people who seek a single, authoritative source for information on this political and economic dynamo. The Encyclopedia of India meets this need, encompassing the history, cultures, geography, and religions of India from ancient times to the present day. As India's role in global politics and economics continues to grow, readers will find the wide range and depth of information contained within this work an indispensable tool to gaining a solid appreciation of India and its place in our modern world.
Search Tips: Asia and Pacific History
History is a very broad topic. It is always a good idea to narrow your topic down. Several ways of doing this are by
Search: Latin American History
Search: Middle Eastern History
Suggested Sources:
Search: United States History
Suggested Books: United States History
Visions of America by
Using images as primary historical evidence,Visions of Americabrings history alive for a generation of visual learners–and shows how conflicting visions of America have shaped our nation’s past. Visions of Americarecognizes the value of using images to engage students in serious inquiry about the historical development of the United States. Visual images are critical primary sources, and using them effectively requires the development of key analytic skills. This new textbook revolutionizes the role of images in the history survey by integrating them into the narrative. The visual legacy of the nation’s past also provides insight into the competing visions of America that have shaped American political culture.Visions of Americaexplores the tensions and conflicts that have marked virtually every chapter of American history. It presents history as a dynamic, unpredictable, and dramatic process shaped by the choices made by people of all classes.
The Unfinished Nation by
Known for its clear narrative voice, impeccable scholarship, and affordability, Alan Brinkley's The Unfinished Nation offers a concise but comprehensive examination of American History. Balancing social and cultural history with traditional political and diplomatic themes, it tells the story of the diversity and complexity of the United States and the forces that have enabled it to survive and flourish despite division. Volume 2 covers 1865 to the present. This fifth edition features six new essays and enhanced coverage of recent events and developments in the continuing American story.
Archives:
Smithsonian:
Libraries:
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 time in U.S. history was facial recognition developed and used?
Keywords: U.S. history and "facial recognition"
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.
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.
Browse the library shelves in these call number areas to find materials relating to history of each region:
D 1 - 2009: History, general
DA 1 - DR 2285: History of Europe
DE 1 - 100: History of the Greco-Roman World
DS 1 - 937: History of Asia
DT 1 - 3415: History of Africa
DU 1 - 950: History of Oceania
E 11 - 143: History of America
F 1 - 975: History of the United States
F 1201 - 3799: History of Latin America
