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History 188C: The 1960s
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Why is gathering background research important?
It's important to familiarize yourself with a topic before you begin doing more specific and extensive research.
Background research will help you:
- Narrow your topic and focus your research question
- Find historical information, trends, agreements and disagreements, related to the topic, and uncovers gaps in your knowledge
- Learn the context of a topic -- the who, what, when, where, why, and how
- Uncover keywords you can use to do more extensive research
- Find additional sources on your topic
Start your research in reference sources (handbooks, encyclopedias, and dictionaries, etc.) to be sure you have a strong foundation for your topic. Most of these sources will include bibliographies of important secondary and primary sources, which can save you time!
Reference Databases
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new windowOffers full-text access to over 500 highly-regarded titles from 70 publishers. Covers every major subject in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences from the world's best publishers of reference.
- Oxford Reference Online This link opens in a new windowOxford Reference Online brings together language and subject reference works from one of the world's biggest and most trusted reference publishers into a single cross-searchable resource.
Suggested Reference Sources
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present
Call Number: e-book and E185 .E5453 2009 (Reference Room)Publication Date: 2009The Greenwood Guide to American Popular Culture
Call Number: E169.1 G7555 2002 (Reference Room)Publication Date: 2002
Openly Editable Encyclopedia
- Wikipedia"The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit."
Tips for Wise Wikipedia Use
- Be aware that anyone can edit entries in Wikipedia.
- Consider it as a starting point for research; get to know your topic and identify important keywords.
- Look for references to reliable, published sources (in the References or Bibliography sections).
- Pay attention to the alert boxes and symbols. "Featured Articles" have a star to indicate their high quality; articles that are in need of updating (e.g. citation needed, newly available information, relies too much on primary sources) will be marked at the top of the page.
- Last Updated: Aug 20, 2024 1:51 PM
- URL: https://libraryguides.stolaf.edu/hist188c
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