Knowing basic information about your topic is the first step of any history project. Encyclopedias and historical dictionaries are great places to start.
Full-text encyclopedias on a range of topics that include in-depth, peer-reviewed summaries written by scholars across all fields of study.
Full-text reference works from Oxford University Press covering a broad range of subjects, and including timelines, quotations, and overviews.
Around 2,700 handbooks providing up-to-date overviews of classic and current research across the Humanities, Social Sciences, Education, Psychology, Engineering, and Built Environment from Routledge and CRC Press.
Hundreds of short ebooks (around 100 pages each) that offer concise expert overviews of a diverse range of concepts. Subjects include climate, consciousness, game theory, ancient warfare, economics, and literary theory.
Alternate access link: http://proxy.ohiolink.edu:9099/login?url=https://academic.oup.com/pages/very-short-introductions
BGSU has many databases that you can use to find scholarly articles, however, the databases below are your best bet for finding History and Education related articles.
For a full list of Library Databases visit A-Z Databases.
Index to scholarly journal articles from international historical journals, covering the history of the world (excluding the United States and Canada) from 1450 to the present.
Over a thousand full-text scholarly journals and books covering all subjects in the humanities, sciences and social sciences. History, economics, art, literature, and mathematics are particularly strong. All journal titles are archived back to the first issue, many dating from the early 1800s. JSTOR now also hosts the complete ArtSTOR collection.
When conducting your research, it is important for you to distinguish between journal articles and magazine articles. Databases are used to find and identify articles from peer-reviewed journals and other types of documents.
Journal articles are usually referred to as "scholarly," while magazine articles are commonly considered "popular."
Consider these points when differentiating between journals and magazines:
| Criteria | Scholarly Journal | Popular Magazine/Blog/Online Publication |
| Audience | Academics and/or Researchers, Professionals | General Public |
| Authors | Experts and/or Specialists | Journalists and/or Freelance Writers |
| Editorial Review/Peer Review | Journal Editorial Board and Peer Reviewers | Professional Editors |
| Reference/Works Cited | Yes | Not always required or provided |