HIS 2000 - Cook Fesperman - US History to 1865

Limit results:

• Searching for recently published or, conversely, historical documents? Limit the publication date range to suit your needs.
• Need to find full-text of articles? Click the checkbox for "full-text" to find results with the full html or pdf copy available.
• Looking for peer-reviewed or scholarly articles, where article content has been reviewed by experts? Select the "scholarly/peer-reviewed" option.

Almost all search tools give you an advanced search option. Use the tips below to refine your searches and locate the sources you need.

Enter your search terms

• Type your keywords into the search fields. Use only as many fields as you need and leave the rest blank.
• Focus on using a few keywords and avoid entering full sentences.
• If you do not find the results you are looking for, switch your search terms and try again.

Decide how your search terms will interact

• Selecting AND will limit your search to results that include both keywords.
• Selecting OR will expand your search and results will include one keyword or the other.
• Selecting NOT will exclude the second keyword. Use this feature to eliminate results that are similar but unrelated to your topic.

Select how you would like to search

• Select an option from the dropdown menu, such as title, author, all text, or keyword. This will tell the database where you would like to search. 

To get more search results

• Use fewer keywords, limit to two or three keywords
• Use more general terms, use sports instead of athletics
• Use a Boolean OR search: sports OR athletics
• Select the option to search in full-text 

To get fewer search results

• Use more specific keywords: cappuccino instead of coffee
• Use a Boolean AND search to combine search terms: pizza and wings
• Search by geography: AND Illinois
• Search by time period: AND 21st century
• Search by person/group: AND Lincoln
• Search by event/aspect: AND "Civil War"

Use the helpful exercises below to generate search terms for your research.

• Is there a named author?
• Is there information about their background?
• Is the author qualified to write abut the subject?
• Does the author cite or list other sources on the information?

• What organization or group is responsible for the web site?
• Is there information about the submission process for the content on the web site?
• Can anyone publish on the web site?
• What audience is the web site targeting?
• Is the organization of the web site logical and credible?

• Is recent information on the subject required?
• Is it clear when the web site was last updated? If so, how recently?
• Are the facts consistent with other recent resourcs?

The checklist below provides a structured method to test the credibility of any website. Use this when evaluating the credibility of web resources and determining whether or not to use the resources in an assignment. If you need additional tips, check out the Digging Deeper resource.