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This is a brief guide to assist you in finding materials for your HIS 350 research.
If you need further assistance with your work, please let me know!
Citing Materials in History
Below are some resources to help you with writing and citing. You may also want to try RefWorks, a web-based citation management tool provided by the Library, or Zotero or Mendeley, two free citation managers that allow you to share and collaborate.
- Citing Primary Sources: Chicago | Teacher Resources - Library of CongressPut together by the Library of Congress, this page describes how to cite primary sources found online at the Library of Congress website. Can be used as a basis for citing primary sources from other sites.
- Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Ed. (University of Chicago) This link opens in a new window
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- What's included? Information on manuscript preparation, punctuation, spelling, quotations, captions, tables, abbreviations, references, bibliographies, notes, and indexes, with sections on journals and electronic media.
A Pocket Guide to Writing in History by Call Number: Carothers Library Reference - Non Circulating D13 .R177 2015ISBN: 1457690888Publication Date: 2015Rampolla's guide includes information on typical assignments in history courses, evaluating sources, taking good notes, citation formats, and avoiding plagiarism.
Secondary Sources: Books and Scholarly Research Articles
Books and research articles are rich sources of information, often compiled after events have occurred. The links below will help you find books and articles that are primarily secondary sources.
- URI Libraries Search
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Locate books, videos, online resources and more available through the URI Libraries.
- America: History and Life with Full Text (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Citations to and the full text of hundreds of full-text history journals about the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes features such as the ability to search by time period.
- What dates are covered? 1955 to the present
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Archival journal collections in many disciplines, scholarly e-books, images, and primary source materials from institutions worldwide.
- What else should I know? Many journals in JSTOR have an embargo (called the "Moving Wall") on their most recent articles, generally ranging from 3-5 years. Other databases will provide more current results.
Primary Sources: Newspaper & Magazine Articles
Note: newspapers are a little tricky -- you need to know the dates of appropriate articles, and you need to be able to access the newspapers, whether they're in print, online, or microfilm.
To find newspaper articles, think about the time frame you're researching, and perhaps the geographic location. For example: 1940s New York, or London during World War I. Larger newspapers are more likely to have indexes. For smaller papers, check libraries in the geographic area, as many will have local history resources.
Sometimes, you can just browse newspapers around particular dates or events. If you're searching for a topic in a newspaper, you'll need to use an appropriate newspaper index to find citations to relevant articles. Below are a few examples.
- African American Newspapers Series 1 and 2, 1827-1998 (America's Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? More than 350 U.S. newspapers covering a century and a half of the African American experience. Includes historically significant papers from more than 35 states and features many rare 19th-century titles.
What dates are covered? 1827-1998
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Boston Globe (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Page image and full-text index to The Boston Globe. Additional year of content added annually.
- What dates are covered? 1872 - 1990.
- Providence Journal (Newsbank) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Articles from the Providence Journal. Searchable page images available for 1829-1982 and 2017 to present. Full text available from 1981 to present.
- What dates are covered? 1829 - Present.
- Readers’ Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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- What’s included? Access almost 100 years of cultural history with citations to over 3 million articles that appeared in 373 leading U.S. magazines.
- What dates are covered? 1890 - Present.
Primary Sources: Archives
This list presents a selection of archives in Rhode Island. Many public libraries or towns may also have archival collections related to local history.
- RIAMCO
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The Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Consortium Online (RIAMCO) allows you to search for manuscript collections and primary source material on Rhode Island history from repositories around the State. From the home page enter a search query using keywords. Your search will allow you to view the finding aid for collections related to your topic. You can also browse the materials by institution or by major subject. - American-French Geneological Society"More than 10,000 volumes of repertoires (marriage records), genealogies, biographies, and histories, as well as genealogical journals and publications of regional, national, and international scope."
- Brown University ArchivesThe Brown University Archives contain materials relating to the history of Brown University, including faculty, staff, and student publications and ephemeral materials.
- Brown University, Digital CollectionsOnline access to materials at Brown that have been digitized.
- Brown University, Pembroke Center ArchivesThe Pembroke Center Archives house materials relating to "the history of women at Pembroke College and Brown University and of women in Rhode Island."
- Johnson and Wales University, Culinary Archives and Museum"The museum's collection contains over 250,000 items, of which more than 60,000 are cookbooks. Recent acquisitions include a donation of several hundred ethnographic artifacts, a significant cookbook collection of over 7,000 volumes, several restaurant ephemera and menu collections, and an exceptional travel-related collection of printed matter from an industry insider."
- Neighborhood Snapshots (City of Providence)
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Provides demographic, economic, transportation, health, and historical information about the 25 neighborhoods in the city of Providence. - Providence City ArchivesLocated in City Hall, the City Archives provide a wealth of resources related to life in Providence, from laws and legislation to historical information about neighborhoods.
- Providence College Archives"Our collections consist of primary and secondary 20th century resources that have been acquired and preserved by the Library since the founding of the department in 1967."
- Providence Public Library Special Collections"The Providence Public Library Special Collections Department is comprised of several distinct collections of over 40,000 books, manuscripts, pamphlets, ephemera, newspapers, maps, broadsides, art, and artifacts, representing over four thousand years of human history and culture."
- Redwood Library and Athenaeum Special CollectionsThe oldest lending library in the country, the Redwood Library & Athenaeum still holds some of its original collection, as well has having additional special collections of art, furniture, sculpture, and more. "Manuscript collections at the Redwood Library and Athenaeum relate primarily to Newport and Rhode Island history from the colonial era through the twentieth century."
- Rhode Island Historical SocietyThe RI Historical Society is a museum and library that provides both serious and casual researchers with access to information on structures, objects, paintings, graphics, manuscripts, and printed matter.
- Rhode Island State ArchivesThe Rhode Island State Archives "preserves and makes available for research Rhode Island's historical public records, which date from 1638 to the present. Our reception area also features exhibits that are free and open to the public." (From their about page.)
- RIHRAB Directory of Historical Records RepositoriesLengthy list of town historical and preservation societies, libraries, archives, and museums compiled by the RI Historical Records Advisory Board.
- Salve Regina University Archives and Special CollectionsIn addition to materials related to the University, Salve Regina's Special Collections also include "faculty publications, material related to Newport and our gilded age mansions, and books related to the Religious Sisters of Mercy, our founding order."
- University of Rhode Island Library University Archives and Special CollectionsCollections in URI Special Collections include materials about the University as well as specialized political papers, oral histories, and much more.