HI 2330: History of American Science & Technology

C. Clark

Off campus?

Access resources with proxy.

Background Information

The free web: search engines and other free web sites such as Wikipedia
Grolier Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia Americana or Encyclopædia Britannica Online .

A Few Library Reference & Electronic Books

Oxford Reference Online - check your Wikipedia facts
Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine. General Collection R131 C65 1993
Scientific American inventions and discoveries [electronic resource] : all the milestones in ingenuity--from the discovery of fire to the invention of the microwave oven / Rodney Carlisle.

QuickFIND - Multi-database Search

Start with QuickFIND multi-database search to retrieve results from 11 databases (including the library catalog & Worldcat for books) on your topic with one search. There are 3 ways to search:

Information Choices: What Sources To Use

Primary Sources

Samuel F. B. Morse's colored sketch of railway telegraph, ca. 1838.

Use different types of information to get broad coverage of your topic. Historians use primary materials to build their research. See the Primary Sources guide for information on primary literature and how to find it.

Examples include:

drawings,
maps,
interviews,
personal journals,
autobiographies, and
others.

A few examples:

Evaluate...

According to a study at Stanford, nearly half of all web site evaluators (46.1%) used visual cues, to assess a site's credibility. Move beyond what a site looks like...

Authority
Scope
Currency
Accuracy

When in doubt, review our Evaluating Web Resources Checklist (PDF).

Explore Web Sites with Reputable Sponsors

Books

Search the Library Catalog for items @ WPI or WorldCat to search beyond our library.

What does ARC stand for?
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How do you go about requesting the item? How long would it take?
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Find Articles about Your Topic

Start with Gale Powersearch to search for articles on all topics with some full text. Coverage: Contains articles from journals such as Isis, and The Scientist with indexing of 1000s of titles back to the 1980s. Good coverage of historical topics. Search tips: Try Subject Guide to explore topics. Click More Search Options to limit only to peer-reviewed publications.

In your group, choose spokesperson and complete
worksheet using these three sources:

If you finish early, jot down one of the references you found here, in MLA style format.

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Example of a work from a library subscription service:: Gooday, Graeme J. N. and Morris F. Low. "Technology Transfer and; Cultural Exchange." Osiris 13 (1998): 99-128.; JSTOR. Gordon Library Worcester; Polytechnic Institute, MA. 15 Mar. 2007; <http://www.jstor.org>.

What journal or magazine is this article from? Is it available in full text? Or just an abstract? If only an abstract is found, find the full text, using the library's Journals, Magazines, & Newspapers list.

Filter and Follow Up...

Scan results: use subject headings/descriptors, keywords, phrases found to expand search
Scrutinize article titles, number of pages, and journal title
Browse promising abstract and conclusion sections of long studies
Bibliographies can clue you in on the value of the article as well
Find an interesting author? Search for more articles or for his/her web site
Notice an agency, association or expert mentioned in an article? Follow up!

More, More, More: History Databases Galore

Project Muse: Search full text of major historical and global studies journal, most academic sources.
Humanities International Complete
More History databases ...

Only Finding a Citation? Getting the Full Text

Is the journal online or here in the library? Use FullTextFinder to link to full articles or retrieval options within database results or search our Journals, Magazines, & Newspapers list
Visit another library: Search WorldCat to find one
Request delivery from another library: Interlibrary Loan.

Give Credit! Cite Your Sources

Try RefWorks, if you wish to create a database of your personal references, which can be output into MLA format for your bibliography.

Browsing the Library's Print Collection

Floor maps - 1st floor T 15 section is a nice place to start
Library of Congress Classification outlines call number categories for browsing
Bound journals down on Ground Floor; Current journals all the way up on 3rd!

Questions?

Stop by the reference desk or set up a research consultation.

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Last modified: Feb 15, 2008, 10:40 EST