Use the Keyword or Exact search, the default search screen.

This type of search is useful if you know the author or title of a specific book, or if you have one source on your topic. Look it up in IUCAT and see what subject headings are included in the item record. Clicking on one of these subject headings starts a search for similar items. You can also use the Browse screen to browse subject headings.

Use keywords. You can do a search using general keywords to get a quick idea of what's available on your topic, or you can do a more specific search using specific keywords. In this kind of search, start with specific words and their synonyms; if you don't find sources on your topic using these specific keywords, then you should try more general ones. This handout on Selecting Search Terms can help in this process.

Once you've discovered relevant subject headings or keywords, you can use IUCAT's Advanced Keyword search screen. This kind of search allows you to combine subject headings and keywords, to limit your search by language, and to find materials in special formats, such as video. You can also use Advanced Keyword searches to find primary sources on your topic, either by limiting your search results to items published in your historical period, or by including the word “sources” as a keyword.

For a quick review of how research databases work, take a look at this tutorial on Using Databases.

1. Start with American History and Life (AHL) and Historical Abstracts (HA), which will be useful for finding journal articles on almost any historical topic.

   AHL and HA have the same interface, so once you become familiar with one, you'll be able to use both.

   In general, use AHL for topics in the history of North America, and HA for the rest of the world. However, if you're researching a topic that has an international dimension, or a topic on Latin America, search both databases.

   Use the Advanced Search screen to see all of your search options; note especially the Time Period search box.

2. You can also use Academic Search Premier (EBSCO); this is a multi-subject database including both scholarly articles and those for a general readership. (For a review of basic searching the Academic Search Premier, see this Introduction to EBSCOhost).
3. For full-text scholarly articles, use JSTOR; this archive includes about 60 of the most important journals in history.

That depends on the subject matter and nature of the writing and research assignment. Be sure to ask your professor.

Most IU History faculty would agree on the following:

1. The web is not yet a substitute for our excellent library. Your instructor would rather have you use a book or journal from the library than any randomly selected website. Writing a paper based mainly on internet sources may not be acceptable. So be safe: use the library and, if using a web site for a course writing assignment, consult with the professor first.
2. Some online resources are excellent, but there are others that you need to be skeptical about.

What are some web resources I can safely use for my course work?

The following sites have been scrutinized and reviewed by experts in myriad fields before they were printed and placed on the web, so you can rely on them without hesitation.

• Online IU Libraries resources and electronic resources at other universities. If your course has a Course Guide, check to see if there are any specific resources recommended for your J300/J400.
• Websites sponsored by universities are usually reliable. You know that the site comes from a university if it ends with the suffix “.edu.”
• Government websites tend to be reliable, too. These end in ".gov." Website sponsored by non-profit organization can generally be used. These have the suffix ".org" at the end of their web address.

What are some web sites that I need to be skeptical about?

Given that anybody with Internet access can produce a webpage, we need to be careful when we choose to read these. Thus, any personal or commercial website should be carefully scrutinized. Not all of these are bad, but you need to evaluate them before using them. William K. Storey suggests the following when evaluating the quality of a website on pp 10-11 in Writing History: A Guide for Students (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004):

• Take note of the address, author, title, owner of the domain and date of publication. This should help you evaluate the site but it's also necessary to have the information for proper citation if you use the site when you are writing.
• Check if the website has also been published as a print source. If that is the case, then it is likely that it is of a higher quality. Printed materials tend to go through higher quality controls.
• See if the information published in the website is available elsewhere and can be verified.
• Check the tone of the website. Storey suggests the following questions: “Is it scholarly or is it ranting? Does it present evidence that can be verified, or does it make claims that are unverifiable? Is it written by scholars whose names and affiliations you recognize, or is it written by people without reputation?” (Storey, 11)

The criteria listed above may help to determine the reliability of an internet source. However, this cannot become the sole criteria. Again, it is best for you to ask the professor when in doubt about the use of an internet source before you actually write the paper.

See “Is it scholarly? (and why should I care?)” for more information.