AP European History 183 Final Project (Budny): Research Tools and Tips

General Research Tips for the Big Search

• Use quotation marks when you want to search for a phrase: "Livonian War", "Joan of Arc", "civil liberties" 
• By default, all terms in a search are combined with the AND operator (Just like google)
• Boolean operations (AND, OR, NOT) must be entered in ALL CAPS
  • fruits AND vegetables  (result must contain both terms)
  • fruits OR vegetables (results can contain either fruits or vegetables)
  • fruits NOT vegetables (results do not include vegetables)

Using Limiters and the Preview Feature to Locate the Most Relevant Sources for your Research in the Big Search

Because the Big Search is searching almost all of the GBS Library databases, your search will likely return a lot of results. 

Use the limiters on the left panel to refine your search results:

When you click on a link, it will take you to a GBS Library database. You can access all of the features (citation tools, Google Drive export, etc.) that you would expect in that database. Remember, you will be prompted for your GBS ID (number only) and password when accessing these databases from home.

Here are some other useful resources for your research.

Resources with a key icon  next to them will prompt you for your GBS ID number & password when accessing from home. Resources with a Google icon  can be downloaded into your Google Drive.

If you are looking at historical topics, Hstory Today (via ProQuest) and JSTOR are excellent resources:

If you are interested in contemporary issues, the Council on Foreign Relations website and  Current History  (via ProQuest) are good places to look for information:

Another great place to find information on a massive array of historical, political, and other topics is the Very Short Introductions form Oxford University Press.