Subject headings can be like deciphering a foreign language and since it can seem hard to decide how to 'build' a subject heading to find what you need. Here are some tips:

• Unless you know the specific phrasing of a subject heading, try the KEYWORD search first and then look at the subject headings. Here are some examples:
  • Women and history as a KEYWORD search returns 4020 hits. That is just too many to comb through, but in looking at a few records, I see some possible subject headings:
     
  • Women--History (this is still a broad heading, the CSUSM collection is 60 titles plus approximately another 100 titles divided by sub-headings that break down by time periods in specific date ranges, regions, or topics and formats.)
  • Women--History--Modern Period, 1600-- is a more focused and appropriate subject heading with only 12 titles to review. But still not focused to a particular region, theme or person so focused information on your particular topic may require browsing each work's index or table of contents.
  • Women--France--History--18th Century is the narrowest yet, returning only two titles. If you want more, go back to the broader resources or use the bibliography of this work to locate other titles. (But you haven't looked at journals or the internet yet...)
  • France--History--Revolution, 1789 1799--Women is looking at the topic from a different angle, that of the French Revolution as being the primary subject heading and then narrowing by 'women'. This retrieves eight very focused titles.
• If you are looking for works about a person, type their name in lastname, firstname order as a SUBJECT search (firstname last name order will not get you anything.)
• If you are looking for works by a person, type their name in lastname, firstname order as an AUTHOR search

Depending on how much time you have, there are several other resource options open to you. These searches can be repeated in the Circuit catalog to retrieve more titles, or you can request titles through Interlibrary Loan. Remember, the key for successful research is quantity, not necessarily quantity, as few high-quality content books will be more useful than a stack of poorly-researched titles. Historians need to be particular about their sources, checking for both scholarly content, which well-researched and documented, and authority of the author.

Finding Books

CSUSM Library Catalog Do a KEYWORD search on the topic by typing the word or phrase in the search box. Since keywords can have multiple definitions and therefore, uses, once you locate a useful title, examine the SUBJECTS for precise 'labels' to identify your topic. While looking at each item, note authors who are writing on your topic and the call number for browsing the stacks. Check to see that they have bibliographies (listing of the research sources used) to substantiate the book's claims. A scholarly publisher is helpful also!

Example of Catalog Screen

San Diego Circuit This shows materials you may borrow from other San Diego County universities. Either search from the CSUSM catalog by clicking on OTHER CATALOGS in the beginning search screen, or you can extend your CSUSM catalog search to Circuit by clicking on the CIRCUIT button towards the top of the screen. If you are already looking at a specific item in the catalog, Circuit will only search for that item, so be sure to work from the keyword search results list to get broader results. You may request the item online to be delivered to CSUSM for you.

Melvyl   Catalog of holdings for the entire University of California library system.

Reference Books (in library use)
These are works like encyclopedias, directories, and collections of reviews that do not circulate from the library. They may be quick overviews or in-depth studies and are frequently useful for short facts or chronologies, overviews, birthdates, statistics and bibliographies of sources.

Circulating Books (check out and take home)
Find books on your topic by using KEYWORD or subject searches. Some books are now available in full text through the catalog. When you see a WWW connection offered, click on that link to read the book online (access is in 2 hour increments.) You can find useful primary document collections in book form, especially correspondence, diaries and journals.

Other Resources  

History Subject Guide

Portal to online resources brought to you by CSUSM

 

Journal Articles [MediaSite]

History journals include some of the latest research in the field and can be very helpful in your project but are secondary sources, not primary documents. To find articles, you need to start with a research database and preferably one that indexes scholarly sources as they are based on careful research and peer-review prior to publishing.

Some databases do not offer full text of the articles. Use the button to check our other resources for full text and Interlibrary Loan for documents that we don't own in full text.

Most Useful

Historical Abstracts
Historical coverage of the world from 1450 to the present. Not full-text, but the coverage is extensive and the button will link to full text when available. 

JSTOR
Full-text. Contains complete full-text back files (EXCEPT for the latest five years) of core scholarly journals in such areas as sociology, history, economics, political science, mathematics, African-American studies, Asian studies and others. This collection offers articles published since the late 1800's.

Project MUSE
Full text. Scholarly article collection supplementing the holdings on many titles in JSTOR by offering more currently published materials.

Also Useful

Academic Search Premier (via EbscoHost)
Full-text. A multi-disciplinary database offering full text for nearly 1,850 scholarly journals, including more than 1,250 peer-reviewed titles. Use peer-reviewed limiter to focus on more scholarly materials but be aware that not all materials returned in a peer-review search will qualify as such as they may have been published in a peer-reviewed journal but not have undergone the review process.

History E-Book Project
Full-text. Approximately 760 full-text e-books in the area of history. Each title is also included in the library catalog.

Womens Studies International
Includes over 204,000 records drawn from a variety of essential women's studies databases. This database offers limited full text.  See the librarian for help in locating resources mentioned in this database.

 

Primary Sources on the Internet [MediaSite]

A primary source is a document or artifact that reflects the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer of an actual historical event. They include diaries, letters, memos, and books and commentary published at the time of the event. The scholarly books and articles you should have located first are valuable tools in verifying the validity of information on these sites. Many internet sites exist providing access to a mix of primary and secondary sources. Here are some of the better sites:

• Emancipation of Women 1750-1920--offers a limited amount of primary text, mostly selections from larger works, mixed with secondary texts. The value of the site is in the range of British women mentioned and links to women's education and activist groups.
• Internet Women's History Sourcebook--one of the best collections on women's history, but not the easiest to search. The list of links is presented in chronological order for browsing. Check both the "Early Modern Europe" and "Modern Europe" sections.
• Prof. Pavlac's Women's History Resource Site--a good jumping-off point, but use with care as much of the site was built using student research. Some is of lesser quality, but the site is useful for the specific women listed and the bibliographies provided.
• Victorian Women Writers Project--provides full text of writings on a variety of topics as well as fiction during the Victorian Era.

Searching the Internet [MediaSite]

There are ways to search the internet quickly and effectively. Use Advanced or Expert Search whenever possible to focus your results and eliminate sites you can't use like those in languages you cannot read.

Finding the better sites

• Limit your searches to high quality domains: .edu (university servers), .org (museums and associations), .mil (military servers) or .gov (US and state governments).
• Use appropriate language to accurately describe your topic.
• Spell names or phrases accurately--be aware of alternate spellings or names. 
• Look for bibliographies or references to the works used for the site's contents.
• Know your topic!
• Evaluate for authorial bias or incomplete information.

Citing Your Sources

As you write your paper, you'll need to cite passages and ideas from the sources you've found. Many historians use the Chicago Manual of Style for consistent resource citation. There are two forms in Chicago, Dr. Elwood prefers the documentary note style. CSUSM has a collection of quick summaries for a variety of citation styles, but here is information on Chicago (also referred to as Turabian.)

Chicago manual of style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003 Quick Summary -- Documentary Note Style (, 42k) Diana Hacker's Guide to History: Documenting Sources Chicago/Turabian Documentation from University of Wisconsin-Madison Library Copies (REFERENCE Z253 .U69 2003)

 

Need More? [MediaSite]