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Guide to History Research

A guide to support you as you begin your research for your history course.

Start Finding Sources with OneSearch

OneSearch is a broad search across many different subjects, databases, and resources. If you are not finding what you are looking for here, use the box below to hone in on subject-specific resources.

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stick figure with question mark over headNot sure which type of source to start with or what to do to search?! Check out the tabs below to search for tips on searching or specific types of information. For more help on how to search, visit the Search Effectively page.

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Literary Criticism

Books

When & Why to Use Scholarly Books:

  • You need to understand a complex topic (these are easier to read than journal articles)

  • You need very in-depth analysis of a topic
  • You need broad coverage of one or more topics
  • You need a summary of existing research on a topic

 

Find Scholarly Books:
 

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Under "Source Types" limit your search results to "books." This limits your results to physical books and ebooks. 

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a close-up photo of a stack of journalsJournal Articles

Also known as "Scholarly Articles," "Refereed Articles," or "Academic Articles."

These articles are basically the "bread-and-butter" sources for scholarly research - they're used in every discipline.

Why You Should Use Them:

  • Information is based on research and expertise
  • Information is detailed and focused on a narrow topic
  • The peer-review process (mostly) insures that the information is accurate
  • They add to a growing understanding of a topic by contributing new ideas

Where to Find Journal Articles for History:

Primary Sourcesphotograph of letter with cursive writing

Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. 

Features of Primary Sources

  • Cover a wide array of publication types, including diaries, histories, newspapers and other collections
  • Tell the reader about the time in which they were written
  • Can be used as evidence to create arguments or draw conclusions
     

Find Primary Sources: