HIST 156 & 157: Finding Secondary Sources For History Research

How do I choose keywords for my searches?

• Words to include
  For a History research topic, you would want to include, at the very least, the main concepts in your question. These will usually be nouns (people, places, things) rather than verbs (actions).
• Use quotation marks around phrases
  If the concept is longer than one word, e.g. Roman Republic, you can optimize your search by putting quotation marks around the phrase. Using quotation marks will ensure that the database finds results that use that exact phrase.  
• Use AND
  To search for more than one concept at a time, link your search terms with and. This strategy will narrow your search. 

Found too many results?

• Add more keywords
  If you find that you are retrieving too many results, try adding more keywords to further narrow your topic.

Found too few results?

• Use OR
  If you are searching for a more obscure topic, you may not find much information about the concepts you have chosen. In this case you can try broadening your search by using or to link your terms. This strategy will broaden your search because it will return results either of the terms linked by or.

• Look for more general information 
  If you are still having trouble finding enough information, try looking for more general information.