Skip to Main Content

World History Overview

Guide created to support research in World History at TCC

Background Information

You might need to learn a little bit more about your topic before you really start researching it.

Gathering some background information can help you: 

  • Become more familiar with your topic
  • Identify keywords you can use for searching
  • Think of ways you can refine and focus your topic

*Database links open in a new tab.

Start Here

Where do I start?

arrow pointing towards text

Start with your assignment

Read over your assignment and make sure you understand what it is you need to do. See if you can answer the following questions:

  • What is the assignment? Are you creating a presentation? Are you writing an essay? If so, what type of essay (argumentative, descriptive, cause-effect, etc.)?  
  • Did your instructor provide a topic or do you have to come up with one yourself? 
  • What types of sources (journal articles, books, etc.) can you use and how many sources do you need? 
  • What style do you need to use to cite your sources (APA, MLA, etc.)?

Choosing a Topic

Where to get ideas

lightbulb

If you are picking your own topic, you might get ideas from:

  • Class materials or discussions
  • Current events or news
  • Topics you are interested in

Check your assignment to see if there are any guidelines related to what your topic can be. Check with your instructor if you have questions about whether a certain topic is acceptable for an assignment. 

Keywords

What are the main ideas (or keywords) of your topic?  If you have a research question, identify the main ideas (or keywords) only.  Keep your search to a few keywords. 

Example: 

Bubonic Plague AND 13th Century

Crusades AND 1700-1799

Ming Dynasty

King Louis XIV

 

General Search Strategies

Venn diagram showing only the intersecting part of two overlapping circles shaded in

Search keywords
with AND


Example: 

Famine AND Ireland

Results only include those with both of your keywords.

Venn diagram with intersecting and non-intersecting parts shaded in

Search keywords
with OR


Example: 

Cleopatra OR Marc Antony

Results include those with either one or both of your keywords. This is a way to expand your search.

Venn diagram showing only the non-intersecting part of the first of two overlapping circles shaded in

Exclude results
using NOT


Example: 

King Henry VIII NOT wives

Results do not include any keywords following NOT. For this example, "wives" are excluded from the search.

quotation marks

Use quotation
marks


Example: 

"Ancient Rome"

Put quotation marks around your keywords to search them as a phrase; they will be searched exactly like that.

asterisk

Use an
asterisk


Example: 

civil* will find civilian, civilization

Known as truncation, using an asterisk at the end of part of your search word will pull different endings, searching for many different keywords at one time.