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HIST 150: WWII Britain: The People's War (Spring 2025)

Picking Keywords

The hardest aspect of using Primary Source Databases is deciding which keywords to use. It's extremely difficult for a number of reasons:

  • The meaning of words change over time.
  • Different countries, even when they speak the same language, use different phrases, expressions, and terms.
  • Some terms are too generic for targeted searches while others are too narrow.

For these reasons, it is important to think carefully about the keywords we use when looking for primary sources.

~~Exercise~~

In small groups, consider what keywords you might use to find primary sources on this question:
"How were British individuals who refused to fight in WW2 depicted/remembered in during the war?"

Hint: limit to 1939-1945
Hint: skim the article to make sure they are talking about Brits, not Americans.

Tips: Primary Source Database Keywords

  1. The fewer keywords the better.
    • This doesn't sound right. Surely the more word the better? Well, not really. The more words you use, the more likely you are to use anachronistic language.
    • The more words you use, the more false hits you may get.
    • Conversely, the more words you use, the more likely to exclude useful results.
  2. Use limiting features built into the primary source databases to limit your results, not additional keywords.
    • Too many search results? Limit to a specific time period. Limit to a specific place. Limit to a type of resource.
    • Using specialized databases is a limiting feature in itself.
      • Example: If you're looking at popular magazines as a primary source, you don't need to use "popular culture" as a search term. If you're searching materials published after 1945, you don't to use terms like "After ww2" in your search.
  3. Use Secondary Sources to help identify primary source keywords!
    • Other historians have studied this topic. Their work will give you an idea of what terms are being used in primary sources.

Practice Searches

In your groups, use our keyword to search each of these databases. What types of materials do you find?

Surprise Box! Secondary Sources (Again!)

If you can't find a good keyword for primary source databases, try finding Secondary Sources on your topic to determine what terminology to use for your searches.

Practice Searches (Part II)

In your groups, use our REVISED keyword to search each of these databases. What types of materials do you find?