History Research

Welcome to the history research guide! Regent's librarians are always available for chat, appointments, or email.
 

Recommended steps for history research:

1. Primo Library Search: filter the search for Books, Articles, or E-books under "Material Type."

2. Primary sources: in Primo, use key words like "speeches" or "papers" and filters such as "Archival" & "Primary Sources"
3. History Databases: see recommended ones in this guide in the blue menu to the left or in the A-Z Database List
4. Google Scholar: provides links to articles we own (menu; Settings; Library Links). Try Google Books for previews.
5. Google: find web historical archives, press articles, opinions, and background. See recommended websites.

If you are looking for a topic to research, see this History Reading List of sources on interesting issues, & tips below.

Tips for finding a history topic:  Look at intriguing, unsettled, & debatable questions, such as:

• right or wrong, ethical, & value questions, like "was it right to drop the atomic bombs or to bomb German cities?" 
• debatable issues with more than one side, like "was the invention of trains or another technology good for society?"
• questions people wonder about, like "how did Hitler use propaganda to control or motivate the German people?"
• or, "how did Americans win the Revolution against the British army?" or "why was the Revolution fought?"
• what happened during a specific part of history or event (uncovering facts not widely known)
• why something happened (causes of important events, developments, or problems), like "why the Civil War started"
• philosophical and cultural beliefs at a certain time period (exploring how they defined concepts like "freedom")
• or, "what were Lincoln's views on slavery?" or "how did Christian beliefs motivate abolitionists to fight slavery?"
• how one thing in history (cause & effect), like "why did we fight in Vietnam?"
• or policy/law/court decisions, like "how did the Supreme Court uphold segregation and then overturn it?"
• or "how did military strategy change with the invention of modern weapons during the Civil War, WW I, or WW II?"
   

Look for both primary sources (documents & artifacts from the time) and secondary sources (books & articles by scholars).

It is recommended that you shelf browse in the library.
 

Find a book you like and then look at books on the shelves nearby with similar call numbers.
 

Books are organized by subject. For example, call numbers E-F are American history books.
 

You can also virtual shelf browse in Primo by looking at recommended books at the bottom or the right side of a book record. Try clicking Subject headings and authors' names in Primo also to find related sources.
 

History books are on the 2nd floor of the library to the left side. If you live at a distance, request mailing or digitization in Primo.