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HIST 1250: Early America

What is a Pre-search?

The pre-search is the very first phase of academic writing. All researchers, no matter how seasoned, goes through the information gathering stage in order to better understand both their research question, as well as the topic they are studying. Gathering basic information about context, timelines, alternative terms, and key figures will help simplify the academic research process. This page offers you resources to help you find this foundational information, as well as questions you may want to answer to help guide the research phase.

Sources to help your pre-search

Bellow are some library databases that will help in the gathering of background and context information. When looking through these sources pay particularly close attention to the names of scholars and historical figures that feature prominently, as well as keywords that you can use when stating research in the academic databases. 

Best Bets: Encyclopedias representing a variety of research topics

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World History Encyclopedia: Provides easily assessable information about Ancient Cultures. Reviewed and fact checked by experts. 

Best Bets: Book chapters representing a variety of research topic.

Additional encyclopedias for specific subject areas