The Information-Literate Historian

Jenny L. Presnell is a Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian at Miami University, Ohio

The Information-Literate Historian provides a thorough overview of the research process for historians. Presnell admirably guides students of history through the process of conducting research - all the way from identifying basic research terminologies to discussing various kinds of sources to providing numerous examples of how to locate said sources. The sheer amount of information within this text is impressive, especially given its relatively short length. Presnell's prose is clear and concise, but also accessible to students looking to undertake historical research. The utility of The Information-Literate Historian is such that I would assign it without hesitation to both undergraduate students and first-year graduate students as a reference tool." - Matt King, University of South Florida

• Preface New to This EditionIntroduction: What It Means to Be a Historian Part I. Basic Research 1. Historians and the Research Process: Getting Started How Scholarly Information Is Communicated What Historians Do and How They Do It How to Think Historically Beginning Your Research Where Do Viable and Interesting Topics Come From? Developing a Question and Formulating an Argument The Blueprint: Concept Maps, Storyboarding, and Outlines Taking Notes Creating Bibliographies and Documenting Sources The Changing Nature of Historical Research and What Remains the Same For Further Reading 2. Reference Resources What Are Reference Resources and When Are They Useful? How to Find Reference Resources Types of Reference Resources Encyclopedias Bibliographies Multivolume General Histories Biographical Resources Chronologies Dictionaries, Etymologies, and Word Origins Book Reviews Using the Internet as a Reference Resource Case Study: Using Reference Resources to Understand Herodotus 3. Searching BasicsSearching For Sources: The BeginningsThe Complexities of Searching for InformationStrategic Searching: Keyword vs SubjectBeginning a SearchPlanning a SearchAlternative Searching: Using Facets to Limit a SearchAdvanced Searching: Using Subjects and Controlled VocabularyConclusionFurther Reading 4. Finding Monographs and Using Catalogs What Is a Book? The Changing Nature of Monographs When Are Books the Right Choice for Information? How to Use a Book Artfully Finding Monographs and Using Catalogs Navigating a Library Portal/Finding the Catalog How to Read an Online Catalog Record Finding Monographs and Using Catalogs Outside of Your School Case Study: Finding and Using Monographs: The Spread of Islam in Western Africa 5. Finding Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers: Using Indexes What Are Periodicals (or Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers)? Journals vs. Magazines Commentary Periodicals The Role of Newspapers in Secondary Historical ResearchJournal Articles: The Core of Secondary Periodical Research How to Read a Journal Article How to Find Articles: Designing a Search and Using an Index Using an Online Database: Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life Entering a Keyword Search in Historical Abstracts What You Will Get: Looking at Your Results Selecting Other Indexes JSTORCase Study: Searching for Periodical Articles: Canton Trade System Selected Historical Indexes Selected Periodical Indexes of Use to Historians 6. History and the Internet The Internet and Research When Is the Internet Appropriate for Historical Research? Searching the InternetSearching for Secondary SourcesSearching for Primary SourcesHistorians Communicating: Using Listservs and Blogs for Information Case Study: Using the Internet: Japanese Americans and Internment Camps For Further Reading 7. Evaluating Your Sources Why Evaluate Your Sources? Basic Evaluation Criteria Perspective and Bias: Historians and Interpretation Scholarship or Propaganda? "Fake" News and MisinformationCase Study: Evaluating Sources: Holocaust Historians For Further Reading 8. The Thrill of Discovery: Primary Sources Definitions Nature and Categories of Primary Sources Planning Your Project with Primary Sources Locating Primary Sources Digitization and Electronic Access to Primary Sources Published Sources for Mass Consumption Books as Primary Sources Magazines and Journals as Primary Sources Newspapers as Primary Sources Unpublished Sources and Manuscripts Catalogs, Bibliographies, Directories, and Indexes for Manuscripts Documents from Governments and Other Official Bodies Indexes, Full-Text Sources, and Bibliographies of Government Documents Directories/Bibliographies for Governments/Guides to Government Publications Genealogy and Public Records Guides for Genealogy and Public Records Business Records Directories and Resources Oral History Guide to Oral History Repositories Material Culture: Buildings, Artifacts, and Objects History before 1400: Ancient and Medieval Cultures and Those with Substantial Oral and Material Culture Traditions Ancient History Medieval European History Indigenous Peoples, Former Colonial Nations, and African American History Using Bibliographies to Locate Primary Sources Bibliographies Containing References to Primary Sources Evaluation of Primary SourcesCase Study: Finding Primary Sources: Tobacco through the Ages For Further Reading Bibliography of Advanced Indexes to Published Primary Sources Part II. Advanced Research Techniques for Primary Sources 9. Maps: From Simple to Geographic Information Systems Maps as Representations of Our World A Short History of Maps and Cartography Maps for Navigation and Commercial Use Maps as Political Tools Maps as Propaganda Maps Marking Territory Maps in War Components of Modern Maps Finding Maps Categories of Historical Maps Map Resources Gazetteers How to Read a Map Questions to Ask When Reading a Map Planning Your Own Map: Simple to Complex For Further Reading 10. Beyond the Written Word: Finding, Evaluating, and Using Images, Motion Pictures, and Audio The Role of Media in Historical Research: Images throughout History Photography: Real Life Captured? Art as Visual Media: Painting and Drawing Moving Images: Fact and Fiction: Newsreels, Documentaries, Motion Pictures, and Television Programs Searching for Visual Media Collections of Historic Images Search Engines and Meta-Search Engines for Images and Indexes to Image Collections Images on the Internet: Some Cautions Digital Video: Using Moving Images Searching on the Web Audio, Music, and Speech Resources Searching for Audio Materials Copyright For Further Reading 11. Digital History and Big Data What Digital History Is and Is NotApproaches to Digital HistoryHow to Perform Simple Digital Textual Analysis Digital Textual Analysis Tools Examples of Digital History Projects Beginning Your Own Digital History Project For Further Reading 12. Statistics: Quantifying History A Society of Statistics A Short History of the Evolution of Statistical Collection and Analysis: What Can You Expect to Find? Categorizing Statistics: How They Are Collected and Organized Demographics/Vital Statistics/Census Data Economic Statistics Social Statistics Public Opinion and Consumer Preferences Gleaning Statistics from Primary Sources Finding Statistics How to Think about the Sources Search Strategies Evaluating Statistics: Common Problems with Data Collection and Results Questions to Evaluate Data Data Problems: Signs That Something Is Wrong Data Sets: Doing Your Own Thing Selected Resources Understanding Statistics Collections of General Statistics/Statistical Abstracts Almanacs and Yearbooks Economic, Financial, and Commercial Statistics General Demographics and Social Characteristics Censuses Polls/Public Opinion Market Research Major Social Surveys Bibliographies and Indexes for Statistics Finding and Using Data Sets For Further Reading Case Study: Contextualizing Statistics Part III. Presenting Your Research 13. Presenting Your Research: Traditional Research Paper, Presentation,Poster, or Website? Creating a Research Paper Writing Style Formulating an Argument Paper Construction Ebb and Flow of Paragraphs Public Presenting Oral, Slide, and Poster Presentations Creating a Poster Creating Websites for Historical Research Historical and Scholarly Websites Website Design: How to Begin Other Forms of PresentationCase Study: A Student Paper: "Americans and the Bomb" For Further Reading Appendix A: Citation Examples Appendix B: Information Literacy Guidelines and Competencies for Undergraduate History Students Appendix C: Research Checklist Index