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Tips
- Don't use too many words. Keep it simple.
- Use the build-in features of the databases to narrow results, not additional search terms.
- Spend time trying the same search in multiple databases.
- Spend time thinking about the types of sources your topic will need: letters, newspapers, unpublished materials, etc.
- If you're stuck, look at the footnotes of your published secondary sources to see where they are finding their sources.
- Be mindful of how language changes over time. What terms would writers be using during the time period you're examining?
Examples
- Let the database do your work!
- Example: Baseball in the WW2
- Go to our WW2 databases, find 2 or 3 of interest, and simply search baseball
- Use advanced boolean!
- Example Newspaper coverage of Baseball in China 1900-1950
- Pick search terms carefully!
- Example baseball and masculinity
- Use database filters!
- Baseball in American popular culture during the 1920s
