Doing Research in History - HIS 132 - American History II - Research Guides at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

It's All About the Keywords - History Style

The key to a successful search is keywords. You will have to see what combination of keywords gives you the best results.

For example in the Proquest Central

the keywords "French Revolution" give you 104,229 results. Note the keywords "French Revolution" are in quotations to hold the words together. Without the quotes you'll get over 554,000 results.
"French Revolution" AND Bastille gives you 8,498 results. Note the AND is in all caps. That is a Boolean Search term and tells the search machine in the database that you only want records that contain BOTH terms.
To further narrow you can add more words such as "French Revolution" AND Bastille AND monarchy.
If you aren't certain of the search terms you can use OR. Such as Napoleon or Waterloo (61,000 results)
If you are getting results you don't want, try a NOT. For example, Napoleon NOT Waterloo (21,000 results)

Can It Pass the Credibility Test?

Using the CRAP Test to Find Credible Resources

CURRENCY: How recently was this information published/posted? Can you find a publication date?
RELIABILITY: Is the information supported by evidence? Can it be confirmed by other sources?
AUTHORITY: Who wrote the information - are they an expert or knowledgeable in their field? (i.e. For health information, did a doctor or nurse write it? For science information, did a scientist or researcher write it?)
PURPOSE / POINT OF VIEW: Why was it written? To sell something? To sway opinion? Is it biased toward a particular point of view?

Reference Book Collection - Print

The 17th Century, 1601-1700 by Larissa Juliet Taylor (Editor); Christina J. Moose (Editorial Coordinator); Dawn P. Dawson (Editor-In-Chief); Salem Press Editors
Call Number: CT 117 .G74 2006 SOUTH
ISBN: 9781587652226
Publication Date: 2005-11-01
Worldwide coverage of important men and women in all areas of achievement who flourished in the period. Plus complimentary online access to the full content of this great reference.
The 18th Century, 1701-1800 by John Powell (Editor); Christian J. Moose (Editorial Coordinator); Dawn P. Dawson (Editor-In-Chief); Salem Press Editors
Call Number: D 285 .G74 2006 SOUTH
ISBN: 9781587652769
Publication Date: 2006-05-01
Worldwide coverage of important men and women in all areas of achievement, who flourished between 1701 and 1800. Plus complimentary online access to the full content of this great reference.
The 19th Century, 1801-1900 by John Powell (Editor); Christian J. Moose (Editorial Coordinator); Dawn P. Dawson (Editor-In-Chief); Salem Press Editors
Call Number: CT119 .G69 2007 SOUTH
ISBN: 9781587652929
Publication Date: 2006-10-01
Worldwide coverage of important men and women in all areas of achievement who flourished between 1801 and 1900. Plus complimentary online access to the full content of this great reference.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World by John L. Esposito (Editor)
Call Number: DS 35.53 .O95 1995 SOUTH
ISBN: 0195148037
Publication Date: 2001-06-14
This unique reference is a comprehensive encyclopedia dedicated to the institutions, religion, politics, and culture in Muslim societies throughout the world. Placing particular emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries,
World Political Innovators by Salem Press Editors (Contribution by)
Call Number: D 412 SOUTH
ISBN: 9781682171646
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
World Political Innovators brings together over 200 biographies of some of the most important political figures of the twentieth century. These leaders, who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of their country, helped define the landscape of politics today. From the famous to the infamous, the study of these leaders help students and researchers gain a new point of reference to these influential individuals and the ideas they sought to promote through their political career.

You need a credible source for your general interest or to do some background reading to get keywords	Newspapers, magazines, credible websites, documentary films
You need to do general research a topic (eg Civil War nurses, the Aztecs, French Revolution, Joan of Arc)	Books, ebooks, reference materials (encyclopedias, secondary or tertiary sources)
You need a scholarly article for an assignment	Online Databases from Library's page
You need a primary document	Primary Documents

HIS 132 - American History II: Doing Research in History

Introduction

It's All About the Keywords - History Style

Can It Pass the Credibility Test?

Reference Book Collection - Print

Project Gutenberg