Online historical research database hints
1. The best place to start is with a knowledgeable source – a textbook, scholarly essay, or academic search. From here you can pick up on keywords, people, and phrases that can help you in the next level. Wikipedia is for good introductory material, but the site can be easily manipulated. Therefore it is not a good source for serious academic research.
2. In web searches, use quotes to keep key phrases together. In large documents use the CACHED link to highlight your search terms, or when unavailable, the CONTROL + F key to find a word. It is always best to truncate the word when possible in order to have the widest possible search.
3. Utilize available databases, either through the library website. Also keep in mind sites that end in edu, org, gov. Be weary of .com websites, as anyone can write about anything and put it up on the web. Factual or not.
4. To see what others think use external links on existing websites, search for scholarly articles, or lecture notes.
5. Build on your search, when you find that something is being repeated, cut and paste it into a new search. In this sense, online searching is following your nose to the clues.
6. Sometimes scholarly articles get buried, be sure to search beyond the first page. The better your search terms, the more likely the “best” ones will be first.
7. Always check to make sure that a website is accurate. Some sites will have bias, which is not always bad, but it is important that a site has correct information and account for that information. Major points should be double-checked against a textbook or scholarly site.
8. Always make sure to give credit where it is due. Sites that include scholarly work should cite the author for its intellectual content AND cite the Webster’s address and the last date visited. It is a good idea to print out hard copies of central websites, especially of magazines and newspapers, as the link may disappear.
1. The best place to start is with a knowledgeable source – a textbook, scholarly essay, or academic search. From here you can pick up on keywords, people, and phrases that can help you in the next level. Wikipedia is for good introductory material, but the site can be easily manipulated. Therefore it is not a good source for serious academic research.
2. In web searches, use quotes to keep key phrases together. In large documents use the CACHED link to highlight your search terms, or when unavailable, the CONTROL + F key to find a word. It is always best to truncate the word when possible in order to have the widest possible search.
3. Utilize available databases, either through the library website. Also keep in mind sites that end in edu, org, gov. Be weary of .com websites, as anyone can write about anything and put it up on the web. Factual or not.
4. To see what others think use external links on existing websites, search for scholarly articles, or lecture notes.
5. Build on your search, when you find that something is being repeated, cut and paste it into a new search. In this sense, online searching is following your nose to the clues.
6. Sometimes scholarly articles get buried, be sure to search beyond the first page. The better your search terms, the more likely the “best” ones will be first.
7. Always check to make sure that a website is accurate. Some sites will have bias, which is not always bad, but it is important that a site has correct information and account for that information. Major points should be double-checked against a textbook or scholarly site.
8. Always make sure to give credit where it is due. Sites that include scholarly work should cite the author for its intellectual content AND cite the Webster’s address and the last date visited. It is a good idea to print out hard copies of central websites, especially of magazines and newspapers, as the link may disappear.