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Historical Research

Historical Research. Top 10 List. Number 10. You can use many of the library databases, electronic journals, collections of primary sources from home. Number 9. Despite all the stuff online you won't be able to escape actually coming into the library. Number 8.

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Historical Research

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  1. Historical Research Top 10 List

  2. Number 10 • You can use many of the library databases, electronic journals, collections of primary sources from home.

  3. Number 9 • Despite all the stuff online you won't be able to escape actually coming into the library.

  4. Number 8 • Despite the size of this library, we won't have everything you need so you’ll have to get stuff from other libraries.

  5. Number 7 • Secondary sources are easier to identify and locate than primary sources.

  6. Secondary Sources • Accounts written after the fact by scholars. Interpretations of history based on an analysis of primary sources. • Formats: • Books • Journal articles • Dissertations

  7. Number 6 • Get to know your research topic first through secondary sources before trying to identify and analyze primary sources.

  8. Number 5 • The existence, type and availability of primary sources differs for different periods of times and subjects.

  9. Historians & Primary Sources • Primary sources are the evidence used by historians in their analysis/interpretation of the past. • Good history books and scholarly journal articles (secondary sources) carefully cite the evidence in footnotes. • Primary sources help us make personal connections with the past.

  10. Number 4 • One of the quickest way to identify primary sources is to mine the footnotes and bibliography of a secondary source.

  11. Look at the bibliography • Identify the published primary sources. • Look them up in the UW Libraries Catalog. • If not available at the UW try Summit or request through interlibrary loan.

  12. Number 3 • Learn the basic research tools of the trade: catalogs and indexes. Choose the best databases for your topic and for the type/format of the info you need.

  13. Number 2 • Learn how to communicate with a library database.

  14. Database searching generalities • Literal • If you type in a phrase it will search for the phrase • Boolean operators/connectors • AND - narrows • OR - broadens • Truncation/wildcard • Allows you to easily search for variant word endings • * in the UW Libraries Catalog, America History & Life and other databases

  15. Boolean: AND protests vietnam war protests AND vietnam war

  16. Boolean: OR veterans soldiers veterans OR soldiers

  17. Boolean: combining veteran* soldier* protest* (veteran* OR soldier*) AND protest

  18. Number 1 • Librarians are your friends... • Theresa Mudrock • Office hours: Most Thursdays 11-1, Smith 210c • mudrock@u.washington.edu

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