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St. Peter's Prep Libguide: World Civilizations Research Help

Welcome to World Civilizations Research Help

Use this page to get tips on how to do library database research and find sources for your World Civilizations projects.

Database Resources for World Civilization Project

Individual Library Databases for World Civilizations Research

 

Good for a variety of primary and secondary history sources

Use their search bar or their Browse Topics feature to find sources.

 

Good for accessing reference sources and primary sources. 

Use the search bar or the Time Periods feature and the Topic Centers to find sources.

Good for contemporary history.

Use their search bar or their Browse Topics feature to find sources. 

 

Good for accessing reference sources and primary sources. 

Use the search bar or the Time Periods feature and the Topic Centers to find sources. 

 

Good for overview and reference sources. 

Use the search bar and once you have your results select unlocked and free under the by availability section on the left hand side.

 

NoodleTools Citation Organizer and Annotation Builder

NoodleTools is a resource that will organize ALL of your citations and help you create annotations. 

Click on the image and then the Google icon to register and access your NoodleTools account. 

To organize your citations and create digital annotations you must first create a project folder. 

Click the new project icon on the top right-hand side corner and answer the questions in the form. 

Once you have created a project folder you will now be able to import citations directly from our library databases or use the citation builder. You can also create digital annotations and notecards to keep track of quotes, summaries, and your own thoughts. 

Click on the blue book icon for step by step instructions to create a new citation.  Click on the orange squares to create notecards. 

Create digital notecards in NoodleTools to keep track of quotes, paraphrase author's ideas, and write your own ideas for each source you will use in your paper/project. 

Once you have clicked on the four orange squares in the main project folder page, click on new notecard in the upper right hand corner to access. 

If your teacher has created an inbox for your research project, you can share your project folder and digital cards with him/her by clicking on share from the main page of your project folder. Fill out the necessary information and get feedback from your instructor throughout your project. 

Searching with Library Databases

Help with Library Database Searching

The library databases we have make finding sources easy for you! 

Here is how: 

1. Click on one of the library databases provided for you on this page. 

2. Use the search bar on the homepage of each database to find sources.

A. Search terms should be simple: Use keywords or concepts. Concepts need to be in quotation marks. DO NOT WRITE SENTENCES OR ASK QUESTIONS.

B. To search multiple keywords and "concepts", separate each by the word AND.

Example: Let's say you want to research architecture in feudal Japan, you would write: 

"Feudal Japan" AND architecture

Remember, if you do not find the sources you want in one database, try another one or try different search terms!

 

Types of Sources

Primary

Primary Sources are first hand, immediate accounts from people who experienced an historical event or topic. 

Examples of primary sources are: photographs,  memoirs and autobiographies, government documents from the given time period, letters and diaries, artifacts, newspaper and magazine articles from the given time period, interviews, oral histories, and maps from the given time period. 

Secondary

Secondary Sources are works created by people who DID NOT experience an historical event or topic. Often time secondary sources use and analyze primary sources to back up their arguments.  

Examples of Secondary Sources are: academic research articles, scholarly books, biographies.

 

Reliable Online Sites for World History Research