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HIS 4225: Antebellum Era: How to Find Articles in EBSCO

Primary Source Data for HIS 4225: Antebellum America

How toUse EBSCO to Find Primary Sources

How to Use EBSCO to Find Primary Sources

  1. Start with Your Topic
    Use EBSCO to search for articles related to your research topic. These articles are usually secondary sources, but they can lead you to primary sources.

  2. Check the References
    Scroll to the end of the article and review the citation list. Authors often reference primary sources they used in their research.

  3. Identify Primary Source Clues
    Look for items in the references that suggest original materials, such as:

    • Diaries, letters, or personal correspondence
    • Government documents or official records
    • Speeches or interviews
    • Original research data or reports
    • Historical newspapers or periodicals
  4. Locate the Original Source
    Once you identify a potential primary source, track down the original document. This may involve searching library catalogs, archives, or digital collections.

  5. Use Properly
    When you use information from a primary source, paraphrase in your own words and cite it correctly.

Tutorial: How to Find Articles in EBSCO Databases

  1. Go to the library's website
  2. Click on "Find Articles"; use your Concordia login to access
  3. Select your databases, depending on your topic
  4. Select "Advanced Search" and put in your key terms 
  5. Select the "Scholarly (peer reviewed) Journals" and "Full Text" boxes, then click the big, green search box on top

Tip: Experiment with your keywords and don't type out a sentence (it's not Google)

Remember: You can request articles that are not full text!

Boolean Searching In EBSCO

Finding Peer Review in EBSCO

Citing Articles from EBSCO

If you find an article you like in EBSCO, but we don't own it, just request it!

Look at the video below to learn how.

Requesting an Article in EBSCO

How to Read an Academic Article

Once you've found articles of interest, read How to Read a Paper (see below) to learn how to optimize your reading time.