History

History at Murray State University is interdisciplinary. You don't know where your research will take you! We understand that many different people study and write about history. Whether you are a student, academic, practitioner, or hobbyist, this Research Guide gathers valuable research tools in one place. 

• Determine why you are writing and researching
  • Whether you researching on your own or working on an assigned essay, creating and/or following a prompt will help keep your research focused
• Focus your interests/topic
  • Example: You are assigned to write about any topic pertaining to World War II. After browsing some articles and reference materials you decide your focus is the role of Japanese-American soldiers in Italy during World War II
  • If you are having trouble, try using the following template: "I am writing about the role of [subject] in [location] during [event/time period]."
• Look at sources in bibliographies
  • If you are writing an essay about a topic discussed in class, sources listed the bibliographies of your class textbook or other reading materials are a good place to find relevant books and articles
• Use preselected databases
  • This research guide includes databases identified by your librarian as useful for history research
• Contact your librarian
  • If you face any difficulties in the research process, feel free to contact your liaison librarian for assistance or to schedule a consulation

Below are guides that have been created for specific topics in the field of history: