Welcome to the History & Anthropology Subject Guide! Here, you can:
Miners pose with a sledgehammer and miner's candies in a mine tunnel in Summit County, Colorado.
(Image Source: Denver Public Library Western History Collection)
The American Presidency Project
Contains thousands of presidential documents, including presidential papers, party platforms, candidates' remarks, Statements of Administration Policy, documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary, and election debates
Provides access to a wealth of resources related to the civil rights movement, including photos, documents, videos, and oral histories
A rich collection of materials related to Colorado's history, including books, photos, documents, oral histories, ephemera, and artifacts
Free online history encyclopedia with fact-checked articles, images, videos, maps, timelines, and more
Before you write your thesis statement or research question, do a little exploratory research. This is just means finding some trustworthy, but less academic, information on the topic. Think of it as formal curiosity: just learning about the general topic. This information can take the form of encyclopedia articles; articles or videos from trustworthy, but less academic sources; or books. By doing this exploratory research, you'll give yourself a basic understanding of the topic that will:
Where to find background information on your topic:
What is the difference between library databases and search engines?
Great question! Search engines crawl the entire web. Most are commercial businesses that make money from ads placed above the search results, from user clicks, and from the data they collect on users. Search engines like Google and Bing only index a fraction of the content on the web — the rest, known as the "invisible web" or "deep web," is beyond their reach. Since so many books, journals, magazines, and newspapers are now published online, a search engine can pull up material that may be useful for your coursework. However, publishers still need to make money, so the books or articles you find through a search engine may not be free.
Library databases, on the other hand, are built specifically for college-level research. They search focused collections of journals, magazines, newspapers, ebooks, and more, often organized around a particular subject area. This is content that search engines simply can't index or access.
Which should I use?
It depends on the context! Are you looking for some basic background information on a topic? Or maybe some information from a specific government or organization? Or just some general information like menus or hours for a local restaurant? Then a search engine might be right for this particular search. If you need more in-depth information, or more trustworthy information on a specific topic, library databases are the way to go.
When using library databases, don’t just type your full research question or thesis statement into the search bar. You need to use an approach called keyword searching. Here’s how, with an example:
"social media" AND grades AND college
"social media" AND grades AND college AND "first year"
or
"social media" AND grades AND "community college"
("social media" OR tiktok OR instagram) AND grades AND college
Some general tips for keyword searching:
When evaluating information, we recommend using the SIFT method. SIFT stands for:
Before you read, watch, or share the article or video, or even before you get all worked up about the headline, stop and ask yourself a few questions:
If the answer to the first question is "no," or if the website or source isn't authoritative or trustworthy, continue to the next step, "Invesitgate the source."
Make sure you know what you're looking at before you read or watch it by using a technique called lateral reading.
Try to find other sources that have covered the same topic. Has anyone else covered it? If so, how does the coverage compare? Do the other sources corroborate the information from the first? Do they dispute it? When possible, try to find coverage from trusted news sources.
You can also see if professional fact checkers have already investigated the claim. Try using one of the following sites to see if the claims in your sources are overly biased or supported by evidence.
Articles often reference quotes from experts, or mention the results of studies. If you can, it's a good idea to try to locate the original source of the information. Click through links, if available, to get to the original sources. If a bibliography is present, look up the sources listed there.
What is a citation?
A citation is just a way to let your audience know where you got your information from. Generally, it consists of two parts, a quick, in-text citation or footnote, and a list at the end of your paper with more information on the sources.
Why cite?
There are several reasons to include citations in your work:
When should you cite?
Many people think you only have to cite if you directly quote a source, but that's not true. You should cite when you quote, sure, but also when you summarize or paraphrase the information from a source. However you present the information, you need to let your audience know where it came from.
The following guides can help you with your APA citations:
The following guides can help you with your MLA citations:
The following guides can help with Chicago citations:
Still having trouble with your research? CMC librarians are always happy to help with research and citation questions! You can schedule an appointment, email us at CMClibraries@coloradomtn.edu, or pop in to any of our physical locations. You can also check our staff directory if you'd like to reach out to a specific librarian.
Do you need research help right this second? Is your paper due in two hours, and your citations are a mess? Try our 24/7 Library chat option! Anytime, day or night, an academic librarian will be on the other end. También disponible en español.