Research Guides: History Information Literacy: Research Questions: You Try!

Your Turn!

Now that you have demonstrated your knowledge of inquiry and research questions, it's time to start asking questions! Utilize the databases and resources below.

Think of a topic in US History or a primary source (note: the Black Freedom Struggle database is all primary sources).
Start asking questions about the source or topic. Start simple (What is this? Who wrote it?) and move to more complex (Why is this significant? What evidence is there for this contention?) in order to develop your key inquiry question.
Identify possible keywords.
Use the databases and ebooks to develop additional keywords as you refine your search topic.
Create a log or mind map to track and document your progress.

NOTE: If you are working on a class assignment, be sure to check the assignment requirements.

Research Databases

Databases for Forming a Research Topic in History

The following databases provide background information for topics in history. Use them to browse topics, identify keywords, and search for primary and secondary sources.

World History : Gale In Context This link opens in a new window
covers hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in World History. The database combines reference content with full text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, images, videos, and audio files.
TCCD
U.S. History : Gale OneFile This link opens in a new window
Gale OneFile: U.S. History provides access to scholarly journals and magazines useful to both novice historians as well as advanced academic researchers. Updated daily, thie library resource offers balanced coverage of events in U.S. history and scholarly work being established in the field.
TCCD
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new window
The Black Freedom Struggle in the United States database features select primary-source documents related to critical people and events in African American history. Our intention is to support a wide range of students, independent researchers and anyone interested in learning more about the foundation of ongoing racial injustice in the U.S. – and the fights against it.