HIST 1160 World Civilization Since 1300 Biology Learning Community - Dr. Ritzema: Introduction

This guide contains information you'll need for using the COD Library resources for researching the historical context on your object.  

If you need additional help, please contact the History Librarian or stop by the Reference Desk. You can also contact a Reference Librarian online: Ask A Librarian.

For information on how to conduct biology-related research on your object, see the "Museum of the Anthropocene Lab" library research guide.

Image:  Alma Lavenson. Eucalyptus Leaves. Gelatin silver print, 1933. JSTOR

• Assignment
• Website review 
• Getting Help
• Library cards
• Databases - Off campus access
• Getting background information 
• Finding Academic Sources 

(Suggested) Steps for conducting research in History.  

There are many entry points in joining a conversation about history.  You might find a book, article, film, a primary source, something from a text book - all of these sources can provide a point of entry into a topic.  But first, you need to find your topic!

If you need an introduction to, or background information on a topic:

If you already have already selected your topic, for example, the eucalyptus plant, you'll want to do some preliminary search for background information.  

Background Information - Searching

Encyclopedias are often your best friend for getting background information on a topic.

• Use encyclopedias available from the COD Library, such as Credo and Encyclopedia Britannica,  These are EXCELLENT sources that are written by scholars with academic credentials.   
• Books - search the COD Library for books that give an overview of your topic.  

Resources for your paper

Use the background information you found using encyclopedias to help inform you about your topic, and related or sub-topics.  For example, in searching "eucalyptus" and "social history," I learned that the plant is native to to Australia, and was introduced to Africa, Europe, and the United States.  This information could be a good entry point for narrowing down your broader topic.  You can then start to gather resources for your paper.

Suggested resources include:

• Background information 
  • Credo
  • Encyclopedia Britannica 
  • Online sources such as Wikipedia.  These are useful for getting general overviews, and the bibliographies can be a great for finding sources on your topic. 
• Scholarly Articles 
  • JSTOR - an archive of scholarly, peer-reviewed research articles.  
  • Academic Search Ultimate - another multi-disciplinary database that has both scholarly and popular articles, including newspaper articles, and some multi-media sources
• Books
  • Library catalog (The white box on the front page of library website).  Search the library collections to find books in the COD collection and I-Share, our partner network of libraries.