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HISTORY 450: Making of South Asia (Spring 2024) : Home

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WELCOME!  This LibGuide has been created to help you understand how to conduct research for papers required in History 450.

On these pages, you will learn how to decide what speaks to you about your text, how to create meaningful search terms that follow your interests, and finally, how to find and get primary and secondary literature pertaining to your topic.

 

Combine Search Terms

First you need a Primary Search Term
What is most significant in your area? What speaks to you most?  Why do you like the work the most?
Quit India, Formation of the Republic, Indira Gandhi

Next you need a Second Search Term

What is special about the primary search term in the work?
Is it just Quit India? or is it particular to a time or place?
How does it compare to other places, times?
Early 20th Century, Mid 20th Century, 19th Century, Delhi, Panjab, etc.
 
This will be the way you find more specific articles.
 
Start vague and then get more specific
Start off with “Quit India AND Delhi,” THEN “Quit India AND 20th Century" NOT “Quit India AND Delhi AND 20th Century NOT Panjab” – That may come later, but probably not.
 
You may want to change possible secondary search terms to ones that are synonyms or very nearly synonyms.
First try “Quit India AND 20th Century,” then “Quit India AND 1900s,” then “Ahimsa AND 1940s.”
 
You may also want to change possible secondary search term to ones that vary in specificity.
First try “independence AND India,” then “Independence AND Hindustan,” then “Independence AND South Asia.”

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Librarian for Scandinavian Humanities and South Asia; Liaison to the Center for the Humanities and Institute for Research in the Humanities; GLS ADA Accessibility Liaison for Public Services
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