Secondary - Database Searching - HIST 134 African American History from 1865 - Prof Carr - Fall 2021 - Harold L. Drimmer Library Research Guides at Westchester Community College Library

Develop a Search Strategy

Use keywords and synonyms:

Start by taking keywords directly from your thesis statement.
Use synonyms and related concepts by thinking of other words that mean the same thing as the keywords in your question.
Look at the subject terms in your search results and see if you can use any of those.

Use truncation:

You can broaden your search results by typing an asterisk symbol * at end of the root of a word. When you do this, the computer will search for alternative endings for the word you have typed.

For example compet* yields results for:

compete competed competes competition competitive

Brainstorming Key Words and Phrases

Recommended Databases

America: History and Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Covers the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. With selective indexing for over 1,700 journals from 1955 to present, also provides full-text coverage of more than 230 journals and nearly 100 books.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Archives of over one thousand leading academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select monographs and other materials valuable for academic work.
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A general database covering many areas of academic study. Find articles from over 7,000 full-text periodicals and abstracts from more than 11,000 additional journals.
Ethnic News Watch This link opens in a new window
Newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives. With titles dating from 1990.
New York Times Historical, The (1851-5 years ago) This link opens in a new window
Digital archive offers full-text and full-image articles dating back to the 19th Century. Coverage from 1851 to 2009.
ARTStor This link opens in a new window
Collections of museum images and associated data for educational use. Includes slide and demonstration tools for research and teaching purposes.
Humanities Source This link opens in a new window
Authoritative resource in all aspects of the humanities, including fine art and archeology, Classics, film, gender studies, history, journalism, linguistics, literary & social criticism, performing arts, philosophy, and religion.

Streaming Documentary Film

Alexander Street Videos Online (AVON) This link opens in a new window
Documentaries, feature films, interviews, performances, news programs and newsreels, skills-based training video, demonstrations, and more. Academy®, Emmy® and Peabody® winners along with the most frequently used films for classroom instruction.
Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Films on Demand is a streaming video platform offering a robust collection of streaming videos for educational use. In addition to a core collection of content from educational video producer Films Media Group, Films on Demand streams content from a growing list of quality documentary sources. For help in using some of the more advanced features of this product, such as building playlists and sharing, contact a librarian.

HIST 134 African American History from 1865 - Prof Carr - Fall 2021: Secondary - Database Searching

Primo Search

Develop a Search Strategy

Recommended Databases

Streaming Documentary Film

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