History 174: Research Guide
finding books
The CAT is Penn State's online catalog of over 4 million volumes, as well as videos, audio cds, maps, musical scores, dissertations, newspapers, journals, and more.
- To search all Penn State libraries, choose ALL from the In Library menu. To order books from other campuses, use the I Want It button at the top of every detail page.
- To find a book on a topic, do a Keyword Search. Enter a word or phrase in the search box.
- To find a book when you know the title or author, use the Browse Search. Enter the title or author (type last name first), choose what library or libraries you want to search, then click the appropriate search type at the bottom.
Can't find what you need in The CAT? Search libraries around the world using WorldCat. Register first with ILLIAD, then order books online in WorldCat by clicking the ILL button at the top of the page. You will receive an email message when materials have arrived.
Books have also been placed on reserve for this course. Present your ID at the main desk in the library to read or make photocopies from these books.
Search Tips:
- Let the experts help you research! Consult bibliographies of books and articles on the subject often located at the end of the book. Check The CAT or the WorldCat to locate books, and use ILLIAD to order articles found in the bibliographies.
- To identify appropriate subject terms, find a relevant book by doing a keyword search, then check its subject terms on the detail screen.
Search Aid:
finding articles
Many online resources are available to researchers at Penn State, including indexes of periodicals. A periodical is a publication which is published on a regular basis, such as a magazine, journal, or newspaper. A journal is similar in form to a magazine, but is more scholarly in nature.
The E-Resource List (A-Z) links to all 350+ online resources. Find Articles By Subject categorizes the same e-resources by subject. Two e-resources especially useful for this course are Historical Abstracts and Bibliography of Asian Studies.
Historical Abstracts indexes over 2,000 scholarly history journals, as well as dissertations and books on world history from 1450 to present, (except for the U.S. and Canada which are covered in America: History and Life).
Search by keywords, then view a more complete description of each item using the "Display Full Entry" button as shown below.
Get the full article:
Once you find the citation, you may find the full text linked from within Historical Abstracts. If not, use the information onscreen (see above) to order an online copy via ILLIAD. Usually you will receive email notification that the articles is available to you online within 36 hours.Bibliography of Asian Studies includes references to over 400,000 scholarly journal articles, monographs, and chapters from books from 1971 to 1991 related to East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Prior years will be added soon.
Once connected, choose "search the BAS." The advanced search provides additional search options. To save article citations to print as a group, use the "bookbag."
Use ILLIAD to order articles.
E-Resources Search Tips:
- Enter and combine terms appropriate to your topic.
- Look at the best references you retrieve and determine the subject terms used for those articles, if available. Then revise your search using these new terms.
- Email, print, or make note of the full citation, including the journal title, volume, date, and page numbers.
finding Chicago style
The Writer's Handbook: Chicago/Turabian Documentation
finding help
For additional library research assistance, stop by the library reference desk or email Judy Lichtman, jkl1@psu.edu.
For help during the writing process, visit the Writing Center in room 137, across from the cafeteria.
Judy Lichtman (jkl1@psu.edu)
Reference Librarian
Penn State Lehigh Valley
Fogelsville, Pennsylvanialast updated 9/2003
