Skill: Research
There are a number of ways in which you can go about your research in History! So please explore all of the following options before you say ‘I can’t find anything on my topic!’
1. Locate a book/documentary in the library
• Log onto the school portal and click Schols Library Catalogue
• Type in your topic area into the key word box, for example; The Tudors (as shown below) and press ‘Select All’ to maximise your search results.
• Press search and then if you find a title of a book that looks like it may be useful, then note down the call number of the book (as shown on the next page) and make your way to the shelves in the library to find the book.
• If you are having trouble locating a book, ask the librarian to help you.
• If you are locating a documentary, note down the call number and take it to the librarian who will assist you in finding the documentary.
• Always scroll down the results page so that you can see what results are available from the internet databases e.g. Worldbook, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ebooks, Australian Legal Library, Fairfax News, Weblinks Research Resources.
2. Locate books and online journal articles from the State Library
• Apply online to the State Library- IT IS FREE TO JOIN! You can either pick up your library card in person at the State Library or nominate to have it sent out to your home address- will take up to 10 working days.
• You can either visit the State Library to find a particular book that you are looking for, or you can access their online database and find some interesting journal articles on your topic. You will need a library card from the State library to borrow books or access the online database. The online databases that you can search and have full access to with a state library card are called JSTOR, Proquest, Cambridge Histories Online, Historical Abstracts and Academic Search Premier
• Ask your teacher for assistance if you are having trouble signing up to the State Library
3. The internet: Consider some of the following websites and search engines for Historical Research. (Remember, the internet is a very useful resource to consult when researching, but please be mindful of what we have learnt in Elective History about being critical thinkers and evaluating websites and making clear and careful judgements about the websites that we consult).
These are internet sites that have reliable sources of information. The sites have been curated by experts in the field.
Site URL
Jensens Scholar Guide http://tigger.uic.edu/~rjensen/
Intute website repository http://www.intute.ac.uk/history/
Best of History Web Sites http://besthistorysites.net/
The Ancient World Online http://ancientworldonline.blogspot.com/2009/10/alphabetical-list-of-open-access.html
British Museum http://www.britishmuseum.org/ x
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