Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing

The Fourth Edition of our highly affordable and convenient text remains an excellent tool for students faced with the daunting task of writing their first research paper or historiographical essay. The book begins with a chapter that describes the different schools of thought of history, setting the stage for a discussion of the different types of historical sources and the organization of the historical profession. Then Going to the Sources becomes a hands-on manual, helping the reader identify, find, and evaluate the many sources available to researchers. In addition to enhanced coverage of technological tools, this fourth edition features an entirely new chapter, "Getting the Most Out of History Books," practical advice to help students read more critically. New and updated appendices provide easy examples of style for footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographical entries, as well as a list of commonly used abbreviations.

Table of Contents:
Preface xi Chapter 1. The Ever-Changing Shape and Texture of the Past 1 Static and Dynamic Concepts of History 1 Revising Our View of the Past 3 New Forms of Historical Consciousness 5 Toward a "People's History" 6 Minorities and Women Enter History 8 The Annales School and Cliometrics 10 Psychology and History 13 Microhistory and Macrohistory 14 Postmodernism 15 A Multitude of Avenues to the Past 17 Chapter 2. The Nature and Variety of Historical Sources 19 Primary Sources 19 Manuscript Sources 20 Published Sources 20 Secondary Works 24 Books 24 Essays 27 Articles 27 Dissertations and Conference Papers 30 Chapter 3. Finding Your Sources: The Library Catalog and Beyond 33 The Online Library Catalog 35 Subject Headings, Keywords, and Title Words 36 Creating and Using a Research Bibliography 40 Published Bibliographies 42 Printed and Electronic Indexes and Abstracts 45 Finding Scholarly Essays 50 Other Important Databases 51 Historical Research on the Internet 53 Finding Useful Reference Materials 54 Chapter 4. Getting the Most Out of History Books: Critical Reading and Assessment 57 The Need for More Effective Reading 57 Finding Out About Authors 59 Comparing Similar Works of History 61 Reviewing a History Book 69 Chapter 5. Exploring Changing Interpretations: The Historiographic Essay 71 Selecting and Refining a Topic 71 Research for a Historiographic Essay: A Case Study 73 Writing the Historiographic Essay 77 Alternative Approaches 94 Chapter 6. Engaging with Primary Sources: The Research Paper 95 Searching for a Viable Topic 95 Finding Primary Sources 97 Approaching Your Reading 99 Notetaking 100 The Outline and Structure of Your Paper 104 Some Elements of Effective Writing 105 An Open Mind and Intellectual Honesty 108 Quoting 110 Footnoting 112 Editing and Revising 114 One Final Look 117 Chapter 7. Conclusion: The Open-Ended Nature of History 118 Appendix A. Published Bibliographies 123 Appendix B. Major Databases for Bibliographic Searching 125 Appendix C. Footnote/ Endnote Formatting 126 Appendix D. Bibliography Formatting 131 Appendix E. Commonly Used Abbreviations 135 Suggestions for Further Reading 137 Index 139

About the Author :
Anthony Brundage is Professor of History Emeritus at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, London. A specialist in modern Britain, he has also taught United States History, Irish History, History Methods, History and Historians, and Senior Thesis. He is the author of numerous articles and reviews as well as six books, the most recent of which (co-authored with Richard Cosgrove) is The Great Tradition: Constitutional History and National Identity in Britain and the United States, 1870-1960 (2007). His avocations include running, hiking, travel, art, music, drama, and film.