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.

Table of Contents:
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