Choosing a topic

When choosing a topic for your research paper, think about the following:

• Unless your instructor assigns a topic, try to select a topic that interests you.
• Make sure your topic is not too broad, or too narrow. You will find too much information when searching for a broad topic; and not enough information when searching for a narrow topic.
• If you already have a general topic, try searching the library's catalog or the library's databases for ideas on how to narrow that topic down.
• Visit the library's Reference Desk and request to view the following book: 10,000 ideas for term papers, projects, reports and speeches: Intriguing, original research topics for every student's need.
• For current events and issues in the news, try searching the library's database: CQ Researcher.
• For debatable or controversial issues, ask one of the librarians about the Opposing Viewpoints Series, the Taking Sides Series, Issues in Focus Series and/or the Current Controversies Series.
• Visit the Social Issues Research Guide. There you will find a list of current social issues to choose from.

Book Collections

Books will provide an excellent starting point for your research in the field of American History. Reference books often give you background information and a general overview on your topic so that you can proceed with greater understanding to a more detailed treatment of your subject in other books and periodicals. Reference books may include specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, atlases and/or statistical reports. The librarian at the Reference Desk can help in locating an appropriate source. Listed below are the titles and call numbers of some of the American History books in the library's reference collection. The reference collection is located on the main level of the library. Books with a location of Reference cannot be checked out of the library. The Circulating Collection is on the second floor of the library. Books with a location of Circulating may be checked out.

Library Catalog

The library catalog is used to locate books both at RVCC, as well as from other libraries in the Somerset County Library System. Books will provide in-depth information not found in reference sources.

Quick Tips:

• Start with a Keyword search. Once you find one or two books about your topic, check the book's record to see what Subjects are being used. Once you find the appropriate Subject Heading, repeat your search using those headings. Generally, the results from a Subject search will always be more accurate than the results from a Keyword search.
• If you know the title of the book you are looking for, do a Title search.
• If you are looking for a book with a specific author, do an Author search (last name first).

Suggested Subject Headings for American History:

Click a subject heading below to use it as the search term for a Subject Search in the catalog.

Consult with the reference librarian to find the term best suited to your needs.

Browse the Collection:

Most of the books can be found in the following areas:

• E151-189 -- United States
• E171-180 -- United States, History
• E186-199 -- Colonial History (1607-1775)
• E201-298 -- The Revolution, 1775-1783
• E300-453 -- Revolution to the Civil War 1775/1783-1861
• E456-459 -- Civil War Period, 1861-1865
• E660-738 -- Late Nineteenth Century, 1865-1900
• E740-840.8 -- Twentieth Century
• E895-904 -- Twenty-First Century

All of the library's circulating books are located on the upper level of the library.

For additional library catalogs, including libraries in Hunterdon and Middlesex counties, consult the Additional Library Catalogs page. If you find a book in one of these catalogs that the library does not own, request the book using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

Research Databases - Finding Articles

The Evelyn S. Field Library has access to thousands of periodicals. (Periodicals can be magazines, scholarly journals, or newspapers.) Some periodicals are in the library's print (or hard copy) collection. However, the majority of periodicals are available in the Research Databases. These databases provide access to articles. This information is generally more current than material found in books.

Search for periodical articles on American History using the databases listed below. They can be accessed from the Library Database Page. (If you are using these databases from an off-campus location, you will be asked to identify yourself by logging in with your Username and Password. This is the same login you use on campus. The Research Databases are available only to registered RVCC students.)

• Credo Reference
  

  A full-text online reference service that includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, quotations, and many other sources of factual information. Use Credo to get background information on a research topic or become familiar with a new subject. Subjects covered include art, business, food and beverage, geography, history, language, law, literature, medicine, music, philosophy, psychology, religion, science, social sciences, and technology.

• Facts on File History
  

  Facts on File offers six history databases that can be searched together or individually: American History; African American History; American Women’s History; Modern World History; American Indian History; and Ancient and Medieval History. Each database includes Biographies, Events and Topics articles, Primary Sources, Timelines, Images and Videos, and Maps and Charts. This is an easy-to-use resource to get background historical information or begin research on a specific historical event.

• JSTOR
  

  A reliable and comprehensive archive of important scholarly journal literature. JSTOR is important if you are doing a research project that needs older information in the arts and sciences. Due to its very nature as a retrospective journal archive, JSTOR does not contain current journal articles. The JSTOR database is unique because the complete back files of core scholarly journals have been digitized, starting with the very first issues, many of which date from the 1800's. Over 4 million pages are available.

• New York Times (Historical)
  

  The Historical New York Times covers 1851-2005

After finding an article on your research topic, the database will either provide a citation and summary of the article, or it will provide the full-text (the complete article). If you are only given a citation and summary of the article, you can check the Periodical Locator to determine if the periodical you are looking for is available in another database. (The Periodical Locator is an alphabetical list of all the journals the library has access to. Feel free to talk with a librarian for assistance.) If the article is not available in any of the library's research databases, request the article using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

If, for your assignment, you are required to have sources from scholarly journals, use the Identifying Scholarly Articles guide to help you determine if your source is a magazine article or a scholarly article.

Professional Organizations

• American Historical Association
  http://www.historians.org/
• George C. Marshall Foundation
  http://www.marshallfoundation.org/
• Organization of American Historians
  http://www.oah.org/
• Society for History in the Federal Government
  http://www.shfg.org/

Internet Resources

• AMDOC: Documents for the Study of American History
  http://www.vlib.us/amdocs/
  Source: WWW Virtual Library -- Documents and audio/video files related to many aspects of American History from the 9th century through today, organized by time period.
• American Civil War Homepage
  http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html
  Source: Dr. George H. Hoemann, Univ. of Tennessee -- A collection of Internet resources about the Civil War, including biographical information, military information, battles and campaigns, images, records and rosters.
• American History/About.com Guide
  http://americanhistory.about.com/index.htm
  Source: About.com -- Browse by topic for biographies, articles, timelines, speeches and images related to all aspects of American History. Links to outside Internet resources which may or may not have research value and should be evaluated carefully.
• American Memory
  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
  Source: Library of Congress -- A collection of digitized documents, audio and video files, photographs and images, maps and sheet music chronicling the American experience.
• Avalon Project at Yale Law School -- Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
  http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm
  Source: Yale Law School -- A collection of digital documents related to law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy and government. Primary sources have been enhanced to enable linking between documents and the addition of explanatory material. An excellent site to find primary source American history documents.
• Presidential Libraries
  http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/
  Source: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration -- Provides links to all of the Presidential libraries homepages and contains information about conducting research through the libraries. Also provides links to information and documents related to inauguration, First Ladies, the 25th Ammendment, and salaries and benefits of U.S. Presidents. Audio and video podcasts from the Presidential archives are featured weekly.
• Wars for Viet Nam 1945-1975
  http://vietnam.vassar.edu/
  Source: Vassar College -- Primary and secondary sources related to the Viet Nam War including translations of documents from the Vietnamese Archives.
• WWW Virtual Library
  http://www.vlib.us/
  Source: WWW Virtual Library -- A collection of sites containing primary and secondary source material for a variety of topics related to history. Topics include the American West, Prediscovery History, the Civil War, U.S. History Museums, U.S. Historic Sites, Native Americans, Slavery, and WWI.

Additional Help

• Call or visit the Reference Desk to speak to one of the librarians. The Reference Desk is located on the main floor of the library. The phone number is 908-526-1200 x8350.
• Email your question to one of the librarians using the Ask-A-Librarian Service.
• For further information about this guide, please contact Robert Egan

Last Updated - 05 November 2010