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LBS 2500: Social Change and Social Movements in the US

Library Databases with Primary Sources

 

Use the A-Z databases list to find databases with primary sources by subject:

 

 

 

Finding Primary Sources in One Search

...is never easy.  How you go about it depends on your topic.  It's a good idea to ask for help from your professor or librarian; they may recommend a specialized resource for your research.  Here are some suggestions for keywords and subject terms to try:

  • Search in  One Search for books or publications that contain primary sources.  Conduct an Advanced Search for...
    • The topic of your research AND a type of primary source, for instance...
    • American Indian Education AND federal boarding schools AND government policy
    • World War, 1914-1918 AND diaries
      Nisei AND oral histories
      civil rights AND interviews
      environmental justice
      AND case studies
    • Items published during the time period you're researching by limiting the dates of publication, for instance...
      Search the key terms Soviet Union and limit to works published between 1950 and 1960 to retrieve Cold War documents
    • Government documents related to your topic by limiting the type of resource, for instance...
      Search the key term voting rights and limit to "Resource Type: Government Documents"
    • Creative works such as novels, poems, or photographs related to your topic, for instance...
      slavery AND fiction or novel
      Industrial Revolution AND art

       
  • Search in a historical database for periodical articles published during the time period you're researching, such as...

Research Articles

Components of a Research Article

 

Title: A concise description of the empirical research report. It should convey appropriate information about the study or studies presented in the report.


Abstract: Provides a brief but comprehensive summary of the research.

Introduction: Sets the research in a context (it provides the "big picture"), provides a review of related research, and develops the hypotheses for the research.  The introduction describes the problem, develops the theoretical and empirical background for the research questions, and elaborates a rationale for all parts of the study.


Method (or methodology): A description of how the research was conducted, including who the participants were, the design of the study, what the participants did, and what measures were used. The detail is important so the reader can determine the appropriateness of the method for answering the scientific questions. It is also important for another researcher to be able to replicate the study. This section reads a lot like a recipe.

Results: Describes the outcomes of the measures of the study. This section contains the summaries and analyses of the measures obtained in the study. This is where the "answers" to the research questions will be found.

Discussion: Contains the interpretations and implications of the study. There may be more that one study in the report; in this case, there are usually separate Method and Results sections for each study followed by a General Discussion that ties all the research together.

References: Contains information about all the articles and books that were cited in the report. The reference citations are used to support statements made in the article.


 

Modified from  @Department of Psychology, Academic Technologies for Learning, and University of Alberta, 1997.
Retrieved 10/1/06 from http://www.artsci.gmcc.ab.ca/courses/psyc208/Reading/Reading.htm

Databases You Can Limit Your Search to Research Articles

Google Books

Google Books

Google Books offers free full-text access to many out-of-copyright e-books usually published before the 1920's. This includes archival and primary source materials. The easiest way to search for these titles is to use the advanced search page and select full view.

 

 

 

Finding Documentaries and Newsreels

Refine your search by subject to documentary

Finding Images

John F. Kennedy Memorial Library
California State University, Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8300
323-343-3988