Subject Guide: U.S. History

Web Sites

Conducting successful research involves using both electronic and print resources. Due to the large amount of print material available, using books, periodicals, maps, etc. is still the traditional method of doing research. However, the Internet is a dynamic medium with a great deal of material in electronic format—often published faster than is possible in print. In addition, many historic documents and ephemera (unpublished items from private collections) are available on the Internet in the form as electronic texts, scanned documents, and images. Below is a sampling of sites that provide an excellent beginning for conducting research in U.S. History. Remember to evaluate any Web site before using it for research.

Historical Documents

Historical documents are previously published items that have been written by an individual or group of people on a specific topic. Examples are speeches, essays, and government publications. These primary documents comprise one aspect of archived material. To see Internet sites that have unpublished items such as photographs, maps, and related historical documents, please go to the Archives and Special Collections section.

Archives and Special Collections

Material in special collections and archives is another source of information to use when conducting research. Examples include unpublished letters, diaries, memoirs, and photographs. Much of this material is available on the Internet through digitization projects. Documents are carefully scanned and then returned to their storage area. For related Internet sites, please refer to the Historical Documents section.

Bibliographies

A bibliography is a list of primary and secondary sources. For historical research, there are bibliographies of major authors, time periods, and important people. A bibliographic record provides important information (author, title, date of publication, etc.) about an item. That information makes it possible to search NovaCat or other electronic resources to see whether an NSU library has the item.

Electronic Journals

Electronic journals are prolific on the Internet, and it is often more convenient to read journal articles online rather than go to a library. However, electronic journals do have limitations compared to print journals. One factor is that availability of back issues is usually limited to a few years. Second, the amount of content in electronic journals varies from entire articles to brief summaries—and sometimes, just an issue’s table of contents. Finally, images such as photographs and graphs are not always included, unless the documents are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The library has subscriptions to online databases with some full-text articles from selected history journals. Please consult the Databases section to see which databases to use.

Historical Statistics

Statistics are useful sources of information because they help support facts and conclusions in essays. However, historical statistics are relatively new to the Internet and vary widely in dates covered. This is because data must be painstakingly entered into electronic databases.

Online Discussion Groups (Listservs)

Online discussion groups or listservs are virtual forums designed to facilitate free exchange of ideas on a given subject. Individuals must subscribe via e-mail (unlike newsgroups) to participate in discussions. Some listservs are moderated, with editors controlling the flow of messages and filtering out inappropriate or irrelevant material.

Directories

Directories are helpful for identifying staff and faculty at college and university history departments. Directories can also help locate course descriptions and syllabi, as well as information on applying for graduate studies/work and teaching. Directories also include listings of professional societies and scholarly organizations.

Biographical Information

Biographies provide information about an individual's personal and professional life. They can vary in detail and length from brief sketches to essays or books. Shorter biographies are usually more objective and factual, while long essays and books can include subjective material and inferences based upon the author's views. Most biographical sources on the Web are short paragraphs and essays.

Gateways and Guides to U.S. History on the Internet

Gateways are Internet sites that list other places that offer further reference information. They provide access to sites that house specific projects, documents or links to diverse sources of information.