History (General)

For help conducting research in history, contact one of Duke's history librarians:

Online Reference

Search these online reference sources for background information and recommended reading on your topic:

• History Reference Online
  Full-text of 404 reference books from ABC-CLIO.
  
•  Oxford Reference Online: History
  Provides access to encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works published by Oxford University Press in the area of History.
•  Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
  Biographical essays on 55,000 deceased British people, including the colonies and people who lived in Britain.  Includes sources and location of papers. 
• American National Biography
  Major biographical resource for American history. Details the lives of nearly 18,000 deceased men and women from all walks of American life.
• World Biographical Information System
  Contains biographical information on over 3.8 million people worldwide, from the 4th century BC to present.

For a complete list of print and online reference sources, see Reference

Finding Primary Sources in the Catalog

• Go to Advanced Search in the online catalog
• Select Subject Keyword from the drop-down box, and enter "sources," "personal narratives" or "diaries"
• Select Keywords from the drop-down box, and enter terms related to your topic 
• Find Subject Headings related to your topic that include words such as "-diaries" or "-personal narratives"
• Sample subject headings that are applied to primary sources (click on these in the full record to find similar items):
  • American Diaries--Bibliography
  • Autobiography--Bibliography
  • Diaries--Women