Need to understand your topic better?

Use the online encyclopedias or the history specific databases under the USIC Start Research Guide.

Contextual information on a topic will give you topic synonyms and other information to search when doing research. If you look up feminism in Britannica, you'll see other names for our topic including "women's rights" or "women's suffrage". We will also find names of key figures, movements, and legislation in the history of feminism.

Google can be helpful too; however, it's not guaranteed that you'll find reliable information.

You can find scholarly research on the Next Level Research page or by using USIC Search.

Academic Journal Articles

Academic journal articles, also called scholarly periodical articles, are research articles that have been reviewed and written by experts in a field and are published in academic periodicals/journals. Watch the short video below for a clear definition.

Scholarly Books

Academic books are non-fiction (factual) books written by writers who have done in-depth research on the topic. The writer might be an academic, but sometimes is not. When reading scholarly books, make sure you read critically and that your author is not selectively using research to support their bias.

Find primary sources on our USIC Primary Sources page.

What is a primary source?
Primary sources are materials originating during the period you are studying. They include sources such as journal entries, artwork, newspaper articles, photos, and other items that reflect a firsthand experience or insights from a particular event or era.
Secondary sources are created by analysts, commentators, and reporters who evaluate primary sources to help other people better understand why a primary account is important." Academic journal articles and books (not autobiographies) are also usually secondary sources.

*If you need to ask a librarian, ask us @ usic@tas.edu.tw. 

ONLINE ENCYCLOPEDIAS

When starting to explore during your research journey, read encyclopedias articles get a broad overview of your topic. 

GENERAL REFERENCE ENCYCLOPEDIAS

Note: General reference encyclopedias will not count towards your resource list (bibliography) for your History of Asia Research Paper.  However, they can be used for general reference at the start of your research paper, to help you get a quick overview of your historical figure.

• Encyclopedia Britannica  Brief definitions and descriptions of people, places, things, concepts, and events.  
• Oxford Quick Reference  Extremely brief definitions and descriptions of people, places, things, concepts, and events.
• Source Reference  Source Reference is an encyclopedia that provides background information to start your research. Results include general reference encyclopedias & subject encyclopedias.  Check in the item details for to determine the source of the article.  Some topics like the February 28 Incident are hard to find on Modern World History Online. Source Reference might be a good option for you.

SUBJECT ENCYCLOPEDIAS

• Modern World History Online (Infobase)   An online reference resource that provides biographical information, encyclopedia articles, videos, maps, and timelines from the mid-15th century to the present.

BOOKS AND eBOOKS

To find books and eBooks on our library catalog, go to the library homepage.  Select Books & eBooks from our drop down menu in the search box. Write down the call number of the book you want and look for it on the shelf or cart. 

• If the book is in the bookroom, it will say so under "Sublocation" (see under call # in the screenshot below) To request the book, login to your library account and search for the book. Follow prompts to request the book. We will email you when it is available for you to pick up at the library. 

• Try this curated list of Open Access Titles that are freely available on the Internet  (pdf)

CITATION GUIDES

This section contains materials to help you learn how to cite sources, recognize academic sources, and use Google Scholar to support your search for articles and ebooks.  Your first port of call when you start learning how to cite is this first link with a helpful beginner's guide.

• Beginner's guide to citing with the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 

• Zotero has an easy online citation generator.  Always check your generated citation (from zbib or any databases) against the Chicago Manual.

• Chicago Manual of Style Online  This is the online version of CMO and is fully searchable by keyword, e.g., "Journal Article Multiple Authors"  will bring up how to cite a journal article with more than one author. Think of it as a kind of eBook version of the print book we call Chicago Manual of Style.  You cannot use this resource to generate citations like you can with Zotero. Use it to learn how to cite, and to support the good habit of checking that your citations are correct. 

• Citing ChatGPT and other AI As a rule of thumb, it is best to check with your teacher before attempting to use AI to assist with your research, so that it supports your learning goals in the best way possible!  When you are ready and have your teacher's approval, you may use this FAQ guide to begin citing your AI sources.  

• Tips and tricks on creating annotated bibliographies 

ACADEMIC ARTICLES

When you are further along in your research, you will start to read more indepth academic articles on a specific aspect of your topic. Whenver you are not sure if a source counts as an academic journal article, get a quick overview of what to look for by reading this Guide to Recognizing Academic Sources.  You may access articles via standalone (individual) databases or via Single Search as outlined below

STANDALONE (INDIVIDUAL) DATABASES

• Academic Search Complete  Thousands of articles from journals and conference proceedings.  
• JSTOR   Full-text journal articles, e-books, media, and historical texts such as letters (and other primary sources like images and audio) from the 16th century to the present. 

THE SINGLE SEARCH OPTION

• Single Search   An alternative to searching standalone (individual) databases is to search for everything in one place, using our powerful Single Search.  _{^{Note that Single Search will find books, ebooks, articles, videos, audio, etc}}.  To find articles, enter your search term and filter for "Academic Journals." 

OTHER PLACES TO LOOK FOR ARTICLES

• Google Scholar   A good place to find open source articles and abstracts (summaries of articles) on a wide range of topics.  Do not buy immediately articles on Google Scholar. If they are not being offered for free, ask at the informatio desk and we will help you look for them from other sources.  You may want to scan this quick guide on Using Google Scholar.
• SweetSearch  Popularly referred to as the student's search engine, SweetSearch is curated by teachers and libriarians. (Think of SweetSearch as a safer alternative to delving into a Google search in the wild).

• Select Books & eBooks from our drop down menu in the search box, or under our Services tab, to find only print and eBooks. Write down the call number of the book you want and look for it on the shelf or cart. 
• If you can't find many books or eBooks on your topic, try our search for (above) Databases, Books, eBooks and limit your results to eBooks. You can also look for books that are out of print and free online.
• If the book is in the bookroom, request the book from the bookroom. 

Accessing a Book or an eBook

Database Sources for Academic Articles and More!

• Use the Search Box on the Upper School Website, and limit your results to Academic Journals.  Do make an appointment with one of the librarians if you need help.
• JSTOR and Project Muse have humanities including historical research. Both sources have large collections of eBooks.
• U.S. History In Context Biographies, events, and topics in U.S. history plus 1000s of primary source documents including journals by enslaved peoples and presidential papers. 

Subject Encyclopedias

• Modern World History Online Biographical information, encyclopedia articles, videos, maps and timelines from the mid-15th century to the present. 
• Source Reference Background information to start your research from subject encyclopedias and other sources.

Useful History  Resources

• Library of Congress The Library of Congress is a treasure trove of US online archives with millions of images, movies, and historical documents. Search for primary sources.
• New York Times  Search the New York Times back to 1851 for articles on major events in the United States. Note: Each year you will need to renew your pass through our website to access.

Our Research Guide lists helpful sites for Primary Sources.

What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?

• "Primary sources are materials originating during the period you are studying.They include sources such as journal entries, artwork, newspaper articles, photos, and other items that reflect a firsthand experience or insights from a particular event or era." 
• "Secondary sources are created by analysts, commentators, and reporters who evaluate primary sources to help other people better understand why a primary account is important." Academic journal articles and books (not autobiographies) are also usually secondary sources.

This section contains materials to help you learn how to cite sources, recognize academic sources, and use resources such as Google Scholar to support your search for articles and ebooks.  Begin at this first link to learn how to cite books in print, articles, encyclopedias, speeches, blogs and more!  

• Citation Guide:  Beginners Guide to Citing in Chicago Style Manual - Learn how to cite different types of sources such as books in print, encyclopedias, articles, and more!  
• Zotero has an easy online citation generator, zbib.org.  Always check your generated citation (from zbib or any databases) against the Chicago Manual.
• Tips and tricks on creating annotated bibliographies 

HELPFUL DOCUMENTS

• Guide to recognizing academic sources
• Using Google Scholar - A quick how-to-guide

• The Next Level Research Guide is also place to learn how and where to find academic journal articles and research books at school or at home.

• Select Books & eBooks from our drop down menu in the search box, or under our Services tab, to find only print and eBooks. Write down the call number of the book you want and look for it on the shelf or cart. 
• If you can't find many books or eBooks on your topic, try our search for (above) Databases, Books, eBooks and limit your results to eBooks. You can also look for books that are out of print and free online.
• If the book is in the bookroom, request the book from the bookroom. 

Here is a link to print and e-books on the Enlightenment.

Note: Print books for research assignments cannot be checked out as other students might need them. If you feel that your book is unique to your topic, and other students will not need your book, you may ask your teacher whether or not you can check it out.

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedias and reference books are books that have synthesized information on topics into shorter articles. Encyclopedias are a good starting point for background information on just about any topic. General encyclopedias are not acceptable sources for papers, but subject encyclopedias might be permitted.

Useful Subject Encyclopedias and other Reference Works

• Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy (REF 103 CON) 
• Encyclopedia of the Scientific revolution: from Copernicus to Newton (REF 509.4 ENC)
• Literature and Its Times: Ancient Times....French Revolutions (REF 809.93358 LIT)
• The Wilson Chronology of Ideas (REF 909 OCH)
• Chronology of the Expanding World 1492-1762 (REF 909 WIL);
• Chronology of the Modern World1763-1992 (REF 909 WIL)
• Encyclopedia of World Biography (REF 920 ENC)
• Women in World History (REF 920 WOM)
• Encyclopedia of Eastern Europe : from the Congress of Vienna to the Fall of Communism (REF 947 ENC)
• American Revolution (REF 973.3 AME)

Useful e-Reference Subject Encyclopedias and other Reference Works

• Modern World History Online
  • Modern World History includes biographical information, encyclopedia articles, audiovisual material, maps, and timelines about world history from the mid-15th century to the present.
• World Geography
• Oxford Quick Reference (Note: Look for the green, open lock for immediate access or request access if you see a red, closed lock.)

Other Academic e-Resources 

For most databases, you can search with keywords including names of historical figures, places or events. Then use filters to limit your topics. Remember that the more keywords you search, the fewer results returned. Look for suggestions of search terms beneath the search box as you type. 

• Gale
  • Hint: Use Topic Finder and search for a name, event or country. The visualization below will divide the results for you.
• eBook Central
  • Browse by subject. A subject such as history can be subdivided even more by using the subject filters on the left of your screen. On the left of your screen, make sure that the box below BOOK STATUS Owned and subscribed to by my library so that you will filter out all books that we do not own.

Below are some recommended databases for finding academic journal articles in the humanities.

• EBSCO database collection: Academic Search Complete,  Middle Search Plus. Use these databases for the most current content.
• Project Muse has journal articles from across disciplines including social sciences and history and includes recent sources.  Under Access on the left-hand side select Only content I have access to. 
• JSTOR has a wealth of academic articles and e-books about history, and historical texts (primary sources) ranging in date from the 16th century to 2019.  Make sure you are searching only Content I Can Access from the drop-down menu in advanced search or at the bottom of the page in regular search. 

USIC Search also is a good place to find academic sources.

Using USIC Search, Databases, Books, eBooks +, and limiting to Full Text as well as Source Types to Academic Journals is a great place to begin researching for academic sources. Check out our guides on how to use the USIC Search and Google Scholar, or make an appointment with us if you need help.

Use our Next Level Research page for more information and a list of specifc databases that support academic research.

Questions about finding or using resources?

Ask Dr. Warrick or Ms. Wile. Make an appointment, email or stop by our offices.

Some Suggested Primary Source Resources

Check out our page of USIC primary resources.

• Select Books & eBooks from our drop down menu in the search box, or under our Services tab, to find only print and eBooks. Write down the call number of the book you want and look for it on the shelf or cart. 
• If you can't find many books or eBooks on your topic, try our search for (above) Databases, Books, eBooks and limit your results to eBooks. You can also look for books that are out of print and free online.
• If the book is in the bookroom, request the book from the bookroom. 

Accessing a Book or an eBook

If you can't find many books or eBooks

• request that we purchase a new book on your topic under the services tab above,
• look for books that are out of print and free online on sites listed below.
  • Hathi Trust
  • Internet Archive
  • Project Gutenberg

Title: Subject Encyclopedias

 Encyclopedias - Print and Digital 

Print encyclopedias are in the USIC Reference shelves organized by call number. We also have history subject encyclopedias online.

• Modern World History Online (Infobase) - biographical information, encyclopedia articles, videos, maps and timelines from the mid-15th century to the present

• Oxford Reference - Many subject  encyclopedias on historical figures, countries, movements on a vast range oof topics including gender studies, history and more. 

• Source Reference - search many subject encyclopedias (biographies, etc.) at once .

USIC Start Research Guide has additional subject encyclopedias. This guide has background sources for your topic and includes the below subject encyclopedias.

The USIC Next Level Research Guide is a great place to find academic journal articles and research books at school or at home.

USIC Search searches all of our resources including the below academic databases in every search.

If using USIC Search is overwhelming at first, check out our guide on how to use the USIC Search or search the below resources individually for your topic

• Academic Search Complete - 1000s of academic journals, reports, and conference proceedings from most disciplines including science, math, and humanities.
• JSTOR - Scholarly full-text journal articles, e-books, and primary sources/historical texts, from the 16th century to 2020 in most subjects. 
• Project Muse (Johns Hopkins) - 100s of journals in the humanities and social sciences. Note: Limit to full text by clicking the button next to Only content I have access to after your search. 
• Search scholar.google.com on campus. Check out our guide to Google Scholar.

Check out our USIC Primary Sources page for great tips and tricks to locating primary sources. 

Not sure what a primary source is? Watch this video.

Cite your source! See our Citations Guide Chicago for instructions on how to cite primary and all other sources. Ask Dr. Warrick or Ms. Wile if you need help with citing!

The Student Guide in the poster below is created by AI for Education to help you decide when it is appropriate to use AI for a project or homework.  The section "Yes, but" tells you when AI can be a useful research tool. Always consult your teacher before using AI so as to ensure it helps you meet your learning goals.  [Content on this page updated January 28, 2024]

Below is some information on how to cite AI. Like most style guides, the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS has information on citing AI. (Google Chicago Manual and the words AI or ChatGPT.)  

Chicago 17th from Chicago Manual of Style FAQ
As of March 2023, Chicago only requires a note and states that there is no bibliography format.
In-text citation or note
Format Number. Text generated by name of AI tool, Month Day, year, name of AI developer, URL. 
Example 1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” March 7, 2023, OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/chat.
Example when prompt for text in paper:  1. Text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

The FAQ's of Citing AI in Academic Research - A Guide by Chicago Manual of Style Online

Q. How do you recommend citing content developed or generated by artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT? Many scholarly publishers are requiring its identification though also requiring human authors to take responsibility for it and will not permit the AI to have “authorship.”

A. You do need to credit ChatGPT and similar tools whenever you use the text that they generate in your own work. But for most types of writing, you can simply acknowledge the AI tool in your text (e.g., “The following recipe for pizza dough was generated by ChatGPT”).

If you need a more formal citation—for example, for a student paper or for a research article—a numbered footnote or endnote might look like this:

1. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

ChatGPT stands in as “author” of the content, and OpenAI (the company that developed ChatGPT) is the publisher or sponsor, followed by the date the text was generated. After that, the URL tells us where the ChatGPT tool may be found, but because readers can’t necessarily get to the cited content (see below), that URL isn’t an essential element of the citation.

If the prompt hasn’t been included in the text, it can be included in the note:

1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” OpenAI, March 7, 2023.

If you’ve edited the AI-generated text, you should say so in the text or at the end of the note (e.g., “edited for style and content”). But you don’t need to say, for example, that you’ve applied smart quotes or adjusted the font; changes like those can be imposed silently (see CMOS 13.7 and 13.8).

If you’re using author-date instead of notes, any information not in the text would be placed in a parenthetical text reference. For example, “(ChatGPT, March 7, 2023).”

But don’t cite ChatGPT in a bibliography or reference list unless you provide a publicly available link (e.g., via a browser extension like ShareGPT or A.I. Archives). Though OpenAI assigns unique URLs to conversations generated from your prompts, those can’t be used by others to access the same content (they require your login credentials), making a ChatGPT conversation like an email, phone, or text conversation—or any other type of personal communication (see CMOS 14.214 and 15.53).

[Editor’s update: Original answer updated to put the publisher before the date and to acknowledge tools like ShareGPT and A.I. Archives.]

To sum things up, you must credit ChatGPT when you reproduce its words within your own work, but unless you include a publicly available URL, that information should be put in the text or in a note—not in a bibliography or reference list. Other AI-generated text can be cited similarly. 

Q. Robots are being named and even developing personalities, not just in fiction, but in the real world. Should their names be italicized—i.e., “I told Benjamin to wait at the coffee shop,” where Benjamin is a robot with artificial intelligence?

A. Italics for robot names could be fun in fiction; however, that doesn’t seem to be the convention either in fiction or in real life. (An exception is generally made for named spacecraft and the like, including the robotic Mars rover Perseverance; see CMOS 8.116.) Before you decide what to do, consider asking some robots to weigh in.

For some considerations on the use of AI in scholarly publishing and the responsibilities of authors, start with this position statement on authorship and AI tools from COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).  Here is the Statement. It provides links to other useful sources.  

Want to learn More about ChatGPT and other chatbots?   Who better to learn from about what Chatbots know than a CMOS Editor?  Russell Harper, an Editor at CMOS, released an article on November 21, 2023, to bring awareness to Chat robots such as ChatGPT in academic research.  The article is titled " What Do Chatbots Know?" and can be found by searching for the keywords "Artificial Intelligence" inside the Chicago Manual of Style Online

Content Source:  Chicago Manual of Style Online, Accessed November 22-26, 2023 

Did you know? TAS subscribes to  Chicago Manual of Style Online. Think of this as the eBook version of the physical, print manual that you can borrow from the Upper School Library.  Use Keyword searches as well as an extensive, up to date menu of contents to  learn how to cite properly, and to correct citations that you have generated from databases.  

Page updated January 28, 2024 

The Student Guide in the poster below is created by AI for Education to help you decide when it is appropriate to use AI for a project or homework.  The section "Yes, but" tells you when AI can be a useful research tool. Always consult your teacher before using AI so as to ensure it helps you meet your learning goals.  [Content on this page updated January 28, 2024]

Below is some information on how to cite AI. Like most style guides, the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS has information on citing AI. (Google Chicago Manual and the words AI or ChatGPT.)  

Chicago 17th from Chicago Manual of Style FAQ
As of March 2023, Chicago only requires a note and states that there is no bibliography format.
In-text citation or note
Format Number. Text generated by name of AI tool, Month Day, year, name of AI developer, URL. 
Example 1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” March 7, 2023, OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com/chat.
Example when prompt for text in paper:  1. Text generated by ChatGPT, March 7, 2023, OpenAI, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

The FAQ's of Citing AI in Academic Research - A Guide by Chicago Manual of Style Online

Q. How do you recommend citing content developed or generated by artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT? Many scholarly publishers are requiring its identification though also requiring human authors to take responsibility for it and will not permit the AI to have “authorship.”

A. You do need to credit ChatGPT and similar tools whenever you use the text that they generate in your own work. But for most types of writing, you can simply acknowledge the AI tool in your text (e.g., “The following recipe for pizza dough was generated by ChatGPT”).

If you need a more formal citation—for example, for a student paper or for a research article—a numbered footnote or endnote might look like this:

1. Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat.

ChatGPT stands in as “author” of the content, and OpenAI (the company that developed ChatGPT) is the publisher or sponsor, followed by the date the text was generated. After that, the URL tells us where the ChatGPT tool may be found, but because readers can’t necessarily get to the cited content (see below), that URL isn’t an essential element of the citation.

If the prompt hasn’t been included in the text, it can be included in the note:

1. ChatGPT, response to “Explain how to make pizza dough from common household ingredients,” OpenAI, March 7, 2023.

If you’ve edited the AI-generated text, you should say so in the text or at the end of the note (e.g., “edited for style and content”). But you don’t need to say, for example, that you’ve applied smart quotes or adjusted the font; changes like those can be imposed silently (see CMOS 13.7 and 13.8).

If you’re using author-date instead of notes, any information not in the text would be placed in a parenthetical text reference. For example, “(ChatGPT, March 7, 2023).”

But don’t cite ChatGPT in a bibliography or reference list unless you provide a publicly available link (e.g., via a browser extension like ShareGPT or A.I. Archives). Though OpenAI assigns unique URLs to conversations generated from your prompts, those can’t be used by others to access the same content (they require your login credentials), making a ChatGPT conversation like an email, phone, or text conversation—or any other type of personal communication (see CMOS 14.214 and 15.53).

[Editor’s update: Original answer updated to put the publisher before the date and to acknowledge tools like ShareGPT and A.I. Archives.]

To sum things up, you must credit ChatGPT when you reproduce its words within your own work, but unless you include a publicly available URL, that information should be put in the text or in a note—not in a bibliography or reference list. Other AI-generated text can be cited similarly. 

Q. Robots are being named and even developing personalities, not just in fiction, but in the real world. Should their names be italicized—i.e., “I told Benjamin to wait at the coffee shop,” where Benjamin is a robot with artificial intelligence?

A. Italics for robot names could be fun in fiction; however, that doesn’t seem to be the convention either in fiction or in real life. (An exception is generally made for named spacecraft and the like, including the robotic Mars rover Perseverance; see CMOS 8.116.) Before you decide what to do, consider asking some robots to weigh in.

For some considerations on the use of AI in scholarly publishing and the responsibilities of authors, start with this position statement on authorship and AI tools from COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics).  Here is the Statement. It provides links to other useful sources.  

Want to learn More about ChatGPT and other chatbots?   Who better to learn from about what Chatbots know than a CMOS Editor?  Russell Harper, an Editor at CMOS, released an article on November 21, 2023, to bring awareness to Chat robots such as ChatGPT in academic research.  The article is titled " What Do Chatbots Know?" and can be found by searching for the keywords "Artificial Intelligence" inside the Chicago Manual of Style Online

Content Source:  Chicago Manual of Style Online, Accessed November 22-26, 2023 

Did you know? TAS subscribes to  Chicago Manual of Style Online. Think of this as the eBook version of the physical, print manual that you can borrow from the Upper School Library.  Use Keyword searches as well as an extensive, up to date menu of contents to  learn how to cite properly, and to correct citations that you have generated from databases.  

Page updated January 28, 2024