This course guide has two main purposes:

1. To save you time in your research.
2. To help make your research more successful.  

For much more in-depth information on conducting historical research, please visit our guide on Library Research for History Students.

If you have any questions about this guide, or about your research for this class, then please don't hesitate to contact us!

Mary Stuart
History Librarian
244-0797 | m-stuart (at) illinois.edu

Geoffrey Ross
Collections and Services Specialist
333-9558 | gtross (at) illinois.edu

I. Literature Review

How to do a literature review when starting your research project

II. Books

How to find books in both print and digitized formats. Introduces the Online Catalog: what the online catalog is, why you would use it, and how to use it most effectively.

III. Locating a Book or Journal by Title

How to search the online catalog for a book or journal when you know the title

IV. Article Databases

Information on finding articles in scholarly journals using article indexes and full-text journal collections.

V. Newspapers

How to find newspaper articles.

VI. Other Source Collections

Other places to find primary sources for your research.

VII. Citing Your Sources

Information on using Chicago Manual of Style, and free citation management software.

Throughout the guide you will be able to leave comments, tips, or warnings for your classmates. Feel free to post notes that you think they might find useful.