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R. Huggins/Early College : American Studies Thesis Project: Find Articles

American Studies (Early College)

Database Help

A library database is essentially an electronic collection of published works. Most library databases index articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers, and some focus on specific disciplines while others are multidisciplinary (and therefore cover many different topics). 

                                   Google versus Databases       

Filters in Scholarly Databases:

  • Scholarly Academic (depending on the database, those words are the same)
  • Peer reviewed: this article has gone through a process where scholars in the field have assessed the facts and information to determine its credibility.
  • Full Text: use this filter to make sure you have full access to the article and not just a citation
  • Publication Date Range: some assignments require you to use the most up to date information
  • Subject: these are key terms that you can use to limit results
  • Discipline: this is a specific area you want to search within: history, psychology, etc.

Secondary Resources

US History in Context

Magazines, articles, news, images, videos, references, primary documents and more.

Issues and Controversies in American History

Timelines, primary sources, reference/background material and information on "the issue" with each topic, person or event!

Biography in Context

Biography in Context

Scholarly and popular, Biography In Context is built on a foundation of more than 650,000 biographical entries covering international figures from all time periods and areas of study. 

Primary Sources

 

Primary sources are original records created during the time under study. Because they were present during the experience, they offer an inside first-hand view of a particular event unfiltered by interpretation, criticism, or evaluation. 

 

Library of Congress Primary Sources

Digital Public Library of America

Making of America

Prints and Photographs Online Catalog

Primary Resource Finder Tip: 

  • Museums are great sources of information for primary resources.
  • The bibliography in the back of a book may lead to other primary source information.

 

 

 

Some examples:

  • Letters
  • Newspapers
  • Interviews
  • Photographs
  • Manuscripts
  • Memoirs
  • Speeches
  • Diaries
  • News film footage
  • Autobiographies
  • Official records
  • Personal narratives
  • Creative works: poetry, drama, novels, music, art
  • Anecdotes
  • Correspondence
  • Pamphlets
  • Case studies
   

 

Credo Reference

Credo Reference

Credo Reference

Credo Reference is a perfect starting point for creating research projects, writing topic papers and essays and conducting general research. 

Library of Congress