For MSCH J450, you will be writing a research paper on a topic in American history prior to 1960 which intersects with journalism or media. This paper should include primary sources including, but not limited to, newspapers, magazines government documents, oral interviews, court cases, broadsides, films and novels, as well as secondary sources in which scholars have already performed an analyses of such documents.
This guide will provide recommended resources and tips for finding information for your particular topic. Use the tabs on the left hand side to navigate to different sections.
Ask a Librarian!
In Person: Wells Library
Email: libref@indiana.edu
Chat: libraries.indiana.edu/help
Schedule a Research Consultation
Email reassist@indiana.edu or schedule online.
Essential Tips
Boolean Operators
Note: in most, but not all, databases, the AND is implied. For example, Google automatically puts an AND in between search terms.
Example: renewable energy AND China
Example: renewable energy OR solar OR wind
Example: peacekeeping NOT United Nations
Database Search Fields
Records in library databases are made of "fields." Fields can help narrow your search.
Examples:
Improving Search Results with Fields
Adapted from SAIS Library, Johns Hopkins Univ. "Database Search Tips" Guide (no longer extant).
Primary sources sources as a key component of a successful history research paper. Here you will find highlighted databases available through IU Libraries that include a range of primary sources related to American history.
For a more comprehensive list of databases, check out the IU Libraries' History Resource Suggestions and Journalism Resource Suggestions pages. You can narrow your focus by clicking the concentration tabs such as "Early U.S. History," "19th Century U.S. History," etc. on the left side of the page.
Adapted from University Library, California State University, Los Angeles. "Differences between Books / Articles, Scholarly Journals / Magazines, Primary Sources / Secondary Sources " Guide http://web.calstatela.edu/library/guides/History-Guide.pdf
In order to gain a more complete picture of your issue and understand how historians have interpreted your topic of interest, you will want to locate secondary sources.
Secondary Sources interpret and/or analyze events, facts and primary sources. From a date perspective they are usually one or two steps removed from the event. Most of the time, in academia, "scholarly sources" are preferred, i.e. sources that have been peer-reviewed, include documentation (footnotes/endnotes), critical analysis and/or studies. In the fields of History and Journalism there are several library databases/indexes that identify these materials including:
Always cite your sources. Follow these Quick Style Guides or the complete style manuals.
Quick Style Guides
Are you working with government publications? You may want to consult A Guide to Citing U.S. Government Publications developed by the Government Information, Maps and Microforms Services Department (GIMSS).
Full Style Manuals
Most citation questions can be answered with the quick guides above. For more specific questions, refer to these full manuals, or consult a librarian.