This course guide is divided into three sections: subject encyclopedias, primary sources, and secondary sources.
For your blog post, you'll want to concentrate on the tabs for subject encyclopedias and primary sources.
For your mini-research assignment, you'll want to go to the tabs for subject encyclopedias and secondary sources.
If you'd like to brainstorm source possibilities or have any other research questions, please don't hesitate to contact Peggy Burge, History liaison librarian!
Subject encyclopedias are a type of tertiary sources and are excellent starting points! They consist of information synthesized from primary and secondary sources. These resources give you succinct overviews of your topic, explain scholarly arguments, point out interesting questions, and refer you to especially key sources.
Articles in subject encyclopedias are especially helpful when you are trying to contextualize a primary source. Here's an example:
The selection of subject encyclopedias below will give you a sense of the range of titles available to you. If you're not sure where to start, or can't seem to find an entry that helps you contextualize your primary source, ask Peggy for suggestions.
Melanie Schaffer '16, Peer Research Advisor