Historical Investigation Year 11
Historical Investigation Year 11
State Library of NSW Database Resources for History Students
The SHHS Library webpage Databases describes why you should use databases to search for information resources, and why at times general internet searches are best; this page also has a video demonstration of how to navigate the State Library of NSW (SLNSW) webpage how to choose the most relevant databases for your purpose, and how to use database services.
You need to have a SLNSW membership number to access most of the databases. If you do not already have a membership number for SLNSW you can sign up for free: for a Library card click here or https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/research-and-collections/get-library-card/sign-library-card
Are you researching Modern History? For a shortcut to SLNSW databases that are likely to support research in areas of Modern History click here.
Are you researching Ancient History? For a shortcut to SLNSW databases that are likely to support research in areas of Ancient History click here.
Are you researching Australian History? For a shortcut to SLNSW databases that are likely to support research in areas of Australian History click here.
Your History Extension project may lead you to all sorts of weird and wonderful in your research journey. It is likely that you will need to utilise a more diverse range of databases from the SLNSW than those linked above. This link: https://eresources.sl.nsw.gov.au/ will lead you to the homepage for all of their databases. Problematically, there are well over 700 databases that can only be searched separately. Scroll down the page to "Browse by Subject" as shown in the image below. Browse through looking for subject areas that might be related to your research topic area; for example, does your research relate to aspects of science or psychology?
Tools to help your research process
Read through the SHHS guide to improving your Internet Search Strategies by clicking here.
If you need to create a question for purposes such as framing your research, breaking down questions into sub-questions, or creating an inquiry question, read the SHHS guide to Questioning. This logically helps you understand what makes a good question and how to create one in a step-by-step process.
The SHHS guide to Referencing will easily teach you how to create in-text citations and reference lists. This is a simplified version of APA 7th referencing style; this is similar to other author/date referencing styles -please check with your teacher if they have a different referencing style that they would prefer you to use.
The Critical Reading Proforma is a worksheet that you can copy and use. This prompts you to think critically about the information resource (article/book/website etc): click here
The State Library of NSW History Extension page has resources, tips and strategies specific for this HSC subject. They also have a great selection of past award-winning History Extension projects; click here to access it. Tip: read the projects, look at their reference lists, notice the sources of information and think about how they add to the strength of the project.
Historical Thinking Skills from the American Historical Association has a helpful guide; this website includes:
Useful Websites
State Library - NSW
Join the State Library of NSW to access the library's eResources.Library of Congress
Explore the digital collection of the Library of Congress.History Teachers Association of NSW (Student Resources)
This collection covers the history, literature and culture of the Greco-Roman world.
Livius - Articles on ancient history
Livius is a website on ancient history written and maintained by Jona Lendering, a Dutch historian.Internet History Sourcebooks Project
The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly for educational use. This is a project of the History Department of Fordham University, New York.Bryn Mawr Classical Review
This website publishes open-access, peer-reviewed reviews of current scholarly work in the field of classical studies, including archaeology.Best of History Websites - Ancient/Biblical History
Links to over 1200 history-related websites that have been reviewed for quality, accuracy and usefulness.
Online Museum
This interactive website Map of Ancient History Museums is a map of museums of ancient history and archaeological sites that you can click on and follow the link back to the website of the museum and site.
Primary Sources Examples
https://www.theoi.com/Library.html
Ancient Greek and Roman texts, The Theoi Classical E-Texts Library is a collection of works from ancient Greek and Roman literature in translation. Good for Sparta, Athens, Olympics. There is a search box at the top.
Avalon Project - Primary documents in law, history and diplomacy
Enter keywords in the search box at the top right. Documents are arranged by time period.
Euro Docs - History of Prehistoric and Ancient Europe
A search in the box on the left for your keywords will give a list of pages where that term appears. Click on one of the links, and then do a ctrl-F and enter your keyword again to get to the right entry on the page.
EyeWitness To The Ancient World
This website has primary sources along with some explanatory notes. Primary sources appear in RED. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to look at the citation for the primary source. There is a search box at the top right where you can search keywords for your topic.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
Sources are arranged according to region or theme, eg. Egypt, or Human Origins. Scroll down the column on the left to see if your topic is covered. Try a Ctrl-F and enter a key term to see if it is mentioned on the site.
441 works of classical literature by 59 different authors, including user-driven commentary and "reader's choice" Web sites. Mainly Greco-Roman works (some Chinese and Persian), all in English translation
This site contains primary and secondary sources organized by theme/time period). Search at the top right by keywords. When you see a blue triangle, click on it to open list of sources.
Library of Critical Thinking Resources
Glossary of Ideas that Support Open-minded Inquiry
"This is a brief guide to the ideal of open-minded inquiry by way of a survey of related notions... From assumptions to zealotry, the glossary provides an account of a wide range of concepts in this family of ideas, reflecting a concern and a connection throughout with the central concept of open-mindedness itself...
A review of certain key ideas provides a clearer sense of the dimensions of the ideal of open-mindedness for all those who are determined to make this aim central to their work as teachers. What follows is a road map to the terrain which surrounds the idea of open-minded inquiry" (Willian Hare. 2004).
Go to the website to read the Glossary of Ideas that Support Open-minded Inquiry
Podcasts for History Buffs
A great way to develop a broad understanding of the subject of History is by listening to podcasts. You probably won't find research that helps your project... but it may fuel your passion for History and you may find some interesting ways that podcasters put their stories together. A work of caution, a podcast is made to entertain, be listened to in about 20-60 minutes and is typically less 'academic' in language. Should a History Extension project be more academically formal than a podcast? -Ask your teacher, please!
You might need to try a few different podcasts to find one you connect with, here are some suggestions:
Dan Carlin's
Hardcore History
In "Hardcore History" journalist and broadcaster Dan Carlin takes his "Martian", unorthodox way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This unique blend of high drama, masterful narration and Twilight Zone-style twists has entertained millions of listeners. click here
Revisionist History
This may be my favourite all-time podcast. Revisionist History is Malcolm Gladwell’s journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood. Every episode re-examines something from the past — an event, a person, an idea, even a song — and asks whether we got it right the first time. Because sometimes the past deserves a second chance. Gladwell's Pushkin Industries have a lot of good podcasts -quality!
In Our Time
In Our Time is a live BBC radio discussion series and podcast exploring a wide variety of historical topics, presented by Melvyn Bragg since 1998.It is one of BBC Radio 4's most successful discussion programmes. Each programme covers a specific historical, philosophical, religious, cultural or scientific topic.
Aaron Mahnke's Cabernet of Curiosities
The show is an audio tour of the unbelievable, the unsettling, and the bizarre, introducing listeners to short tales about the most amazing things on display in the pages of history. This is from Aaron Mahke, creator of the hit podcast Lore. It is a new, bite-sized storytelling experience. click here
The Rest Is History
Historians Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are interrogating the past, attempting to de-tangle the present for their new podcast "The Rest Is History" They question the nature of Greatness, why the West no longer has civil wars and whether Richard Nixon was more like Caligula or Claudius. They're distilling the entirety of human history, or, as much as they can fit into about thirty minutes. click here
Now & Then
How can the past help inform today’s most pressing challenges? Every Tuesday, award-winning historians Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman use their encyclopedic knowledge of US history to bring the past to life. Together, they make sense of the week in news by discussing the people, ideas, and events that got us here today.