Skip to Main Content

Boatwright Memorial Library

Tips for Library Research in History

  • History research should begin at the library website found at http://library.richmond.edu/ and follow the link to Research Guides by Subject/Major.  Choose History and then choose the Course-Specific Guides or individual databases and web sites appropriate to your topic.  You can access other subject areas, e.g., Art, Anthropology, Literature, Political Science, Women studies etc, when appropriate to your research.​​​​​​
  • Catalogs, like OneSearch and WorldCat, are useful for finding books, primary sources, bibliographies, and reference works.  To find journal or newspaper articles you will need to use online indexes and fulltext databases.
  • A good book or journal article can be a bridge to more research sources if it has footnotes or a bibliography.  When looking for books, be sure to browse the shelves around the book you are looking for in the collection.  Often you will find other books related to your topic are nearby!
  • Where available, use the subject heading features in the library catalog and databases to discover other similar headings used, because the same topic may have been assigned different subject headings over time.
  •  Keep in mind that many useful resources, and not just primary sources are print works in addition to electronic and internet resources. The Research Guides by Subject/Major library web page, focus primarily on electronic resources.  The UR Library Catalog and WorldCat (for Interlibrary Loan only) are your best sources for books. 
  • If you can’t find what you need, please email Kye Jenkins, at kyle.jenkins@richmond.edu or Lynda Kachurek at lkachure@richmond.edu. You can also schedule an appointment using the button on the front page of this LibGuide. Don't forget that librarians are available to assit you in-person and via email, text, and chat by using the links on the library homepage.  

 

Visual Guides for History- and Inquiry-Based Research

Chart titled says "What questions do we ask of the past? Thinking Like A Historian." Full chart is available at the hyperlinked URL.

Chart titled "Inquiry-Based Research: How to let your questions guide your research".

Images from Kent School's "Analyzing Images" research guide, accessible here.

What is a Primary Source vs. a Secondary Source?

A primary source is a document or other sort of evidence written or created during the time under study, or by one of the persons or organizations directly involved in the event. Primary sources offer an inside view of a particular event. Some types are:

  • Original Documents: Diaries, speeches, letters, newspaper articles, minutes, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records
  • Creative Works: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art, films
  • Relics or Artifacts: Jewelry, pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings, tools

A secondary source of information is a work created by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions you are researching.  For the purposes of historical research projects, secondary sources are generally written by an academic scholar using specific methodologies, arguments, and research to study a research question.  Historians use primary sources as evidence in their research to produce articles and books / monographs on historical topics. Some types are:

  • Articles in scholarly, peer-reviewed journals - articles tend to focus on specific topics, time periods, or methods of research
  • Books and monographs - these larger research projects are more comprehensive, offering in-depth research into a particular topic, time period, or method of research.

Reference Sources

While primary sources and scholarly articles will be the main focus of your research in this course, don't leave out the value of reference sources. These include items like encyclopedias and subject dictionaries that can provide basic definitions to key terms, and provide "who/what/where/when/why" style answers to a research topic. 

Additionally, literature reviews can be tremendously helpful in providing context for your research topic and give you clear starting places for articles and scholars to search for. Because they discuss the articles and books published about a topic, they can offer a 10,000 foot view of which scholars are talking about which topics in scholarly literature (articles, books, etc.). 

As you begin your research assignments for this class and any other research-intensive courses, before diving right into scholarly articles and/or primary sources, consider searching for reference sources first to provide a more focused approach to your research.

Electronic Reference

The sources below do not feature primary source collections or scholarly articles. However, they do provide helpful definitions and historical context for your research topics, making them invaluable in the research process.

Very Short Introductions

*Note: only 5 users are allowed to access each of these books at the same time. If you are unable to access a book, wait about an hour and try again, or contact Kyle Jenkins.