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How To Use This Guide
This guide is intended as a point to departure for research in history. You will find information on the stages of research and when it is appropriate to use which type of source - as well as recommended databases.
If you encounter any problems or just want help navigating the wide array of historical resources offered by BGSU, please do not hesitate to reach out to a librarian.
Getting Started
- Summon
Search the BGSU library catalog alongside the vast majority of our journal content at one time using Summon. Find and link to full text articles in scholarly journals and newspapers, ebooks, and images.
- BGSU Libraries CatalogSearch for books, videos, music scores, CDs, journals & newspapers, and archival and special collections available at the BGSU Libraries.
Knowing basic information about your topic is the first step of any history project. Encyclopedias and historical dictionaries are great places to start.
- Oxford Research Encyclopedias
Full-text encyclopedias on a range of topics that include in-depth, peer-reviewed summaries written by scholars across all fields of study.
- Oxford Digital Reference Shelf
Full-text reference works from Oxford University Press covering a broad range of subjects, and including timelines, quotations, and overviews.
- Routledge Handbooks
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.
Most databases allow users to limit their search to only "scholarly articles" by clicking a corresponding box. This option does a reasonably good job of limiting your results to high-quality, academic articles.
- JSTOR
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.
- Project MUSE - Standard Collection
An interdisciplinary collection of hundreds of high quality, peer-reviewed, scholarly journals in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. All titles in the Standard Collection are full text.
- Historical Abstracts (EBSCO)
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.
- America: History & Life (EBSCO)Index to scholarly journal articles on the history and culture of the United States and Canada.
Newspapers are a rich source of historical context. They not only give insight in to major national and international events, but they provide context for the daily lives of historical actors.
- Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Search and view the full text of hundreds of digitized historical newspapers from 42 states, with titles dating from 1789-1963, provided free by the Library of Congress.
- African American Newspapers (1827-1998)
The full text of hundreds of U.S. newspapers from more than 35 states published by African Americans, dating from 1827 to 1998.
- NewspaperArchive.com
Searchable full text for hundreds of historical newspapers published in Ohio between 1800-2010. Search or browse 19th and 20th century Ohio newspapers and view full-page pdf images.
- Newspaper Source
Full text for hundreds of regional, national, and international newspapers, and complete television and radio news transcripts from CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR and more.
Primary Sources are vital components to rich historical scholarship, but for new historians, finding them can be challenging. Use these resources to help guide your exploration.
- History Commons
The Accessible Archives collection within History Commons includes text primary sources from 18th and 19th century America, mainly newspapers, including the Pennsylvania Gazette, the Virginia Gazette, Godey's Lady's Book, Frederick Douglass Paper, a collection of South Carolina Newspapers, and a collection of African American newspapers
- American Periodicals Series Online
The full text of hundreds of American magazines, journals, and newspapers published between 1741 and 1900.
- Library of Congress: Digital CollectionsThe digital collections available from the Library of Congress are rich in primary and secondary source materials from all periods of U.S. history. You will find a broad range of formats in the collections ranging from first-hand accounts (both written and recorded) to documentation of people and events during this period of history.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaThe Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) search engine provides access to millions of texts, images, audio files, video files, and other resources digitized by libraries, archives, museums, and other organizations in the United States. The DPLA is a incredible resource of historical primary source material.
Citing your sources is a vital part of the academic process that signals academic Integrity and scholarly respect. Chicago style is the preferred citation style for the discipline of history.
- Chicago Manual of Style OnlineThe 18th Edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, a citation and presentation style often used in the Arts & Humanities.
Although Chicago is preferred, your instructor may allow you to also use APA or MLA.
Be sure to ask your professor which citation style is required for the course or check your course syllabus.
- APAStyle.orgThe official website of the American Psychological Association Style Guide.
- The MLA Style CenterThe only official Web site devoted to MLA style.
OWL Purdue is also a great resources that has information about all three styles in easy to use guides.
- OWL - Purdue's Online Writing LabDetailed guide to APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles. Navigate to "Research and Citation" on the left to access citation style help.