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

It’s been almost 30 years since the first edition of Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing was first published. Newly revised and updated, the sixth edition of this bestselling guide helps students at all levels meet the challenge of writing their first (or their first “real”) research paper. 

Presenting various schools of thought, this useful tool explores the dynamic, nature, and professional history of research papers, and shows readers how to identify, find, and evaluate both primary and secondary sources for their own writing assignments.

This new edition addresses the shifting nature of historical study over the last twenty years. Going to the Sources: A Guide to Historical Research and Writing includes:

• A new section analyzing attempts by authors of historical works to identify and cultivate the appropriate public for their writings, from scholars appealing to a small circle of fellow specialists, to popular authors seeking mass readership
• A handy style guide for creating footnotes, endnotes, bibliographical entries, as well as a list of commonly used abbreviations

Advanced Placement high school and undergraduate college students taking history courses at every level will benefit from the engaging, thoughtful, and down-to-earth advice within this hands-on guide.

Anthony Brundage is Professor of History Emeritus at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, USA. Among his publications are seven books, the most recent of which, co-authored with Richard Cosgrove is British Historians and National Identity: From Hume to Churchill.

Preface x

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 4

Toward a “People’s History” 6

Minorities and Women Enter History 7

The Annales School and Cliometrics 9

Psychology and History 12

Microhistory and Macrohistory 13

Postmodernism 14

A Multitude of Avenues to the Past 15

2 The Nature and Variety of Historical Sources 17

Primary Sources 17

Manuscript Sources 18

Published Sources 18

Secondary Works 21

Books 22

Essays 24

Articles 24

Dissertations and Conference Papers 26

3 Finding Your Sources: The Online Library Catalog and Beyond 30

The Online Library Catalog 31

Subject Headings, Keywords, and Title Words 32

Creating and Using a Research Bibliography 36

Published Bibliographies 38

Printed and Electronic Indexes and Abstracts 40

Finding Scholarly Essays 45

Other Important Databases 46

Historical Research on the Internet 47

Finding Useful Reference Materials 48

4 Getting the Most Out of History Books: Critical Reading and Assessment 51

The Need for More Effective Reading 51

Finding Out about Authors 53

Comparing Similar Works of History 55

Reviewing a History Book 62

5 Beyond Textual Sources: Historians’Use of Other Media 64

Words, Images, and the Historical Imagination 64

The Birth of a Nation: Entertainment, Propaganda, and Critical Response 65

Reading, Viewing, Reflecting: A Case Study 72

The Evolving Integration of Text and Image 75

6 History’s Public(s) and Public History 77

Reaching Out to a Mass Public by Early Electronic Media 78

History and Journalism 80

Beyond the Classroom and the Study: Public History 82

Contested History in the Public Arena 86

7 Exploring Changing Interpretations: The Historiographic Essay 89

Selecting and Refining a Topic 89

Research for a Historiographic Essay: A Case Study 91

Writing the Historiographic Essay 94

Alternative Approaches 108

8 Engaging with Primary Sources: The Research Paper 110

Searching for a Viable Topic 111

Finding Primary Sources 112

Approaching Your Reading 113

Notetaking 114

The Outline and Structure of Your Paper 118

Some Elements of Effective Writing 119

An Open Mind and Intellectual Honesty 122

Quoting 123

Footnoting 125

Editing and Revising 127

One Final Look 129

9 Conclusion: The Open-Ended Nature of History 130

Appendix A: Published Bibliographies 133

Appendix B: Major Databases for Bibliographic Searching 135

Appendix C: Footnote/Endnote Formatting 136

Books 136

Book by a Single Author 136

Book by Two Authors 137

Book by Three Authors 137

Book by Four or More Authors 137

Book with Author(s) as Editor(s) 137

Articles and Essays (Chapters) 137

Journal Article 138

Magazine Article 138

Newspaper Article 138

Encyclopedia Article 138

Essay (Chapter) 138

Book Review 139

Other Types of Sources 139

Dissertation 139

Government Document 139

Website 139

Videorecording 139

Footnote Reference to a Previously Cited Work 139

Appendix D: Bibliography Formatting 141

Book 141

Article 141

Essay (Chapter) 141

Dissertation 141

Sample Bibliography 142

Appendix E: Commonly Used Abbreviations 144

Suggestions for Further Reading 146

Index 148

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