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Medieval West - Reference Sources: Doing Research

This is a guide to reference sources on the medieval West: guides to the literature, periodical indexes, encyclopedias/dictionaries, atlases/maps, biography, book length bibliographies. Last updated 06-13-2023

Doing Research

These sources have research and writing tips.

Student's Guide to History, Main D 16.3 .B4 2010. Many older editions also. Has info on reference sources.

Mann, Oxford Guide to Library Research, Fourth ed. Main Z 710 .M23 2015.  Older editions also.

Barzun and Graff, Modern Researcher, Main D 13 .B334 1992. Older eds in Main and Fine Arts.

Kehler, Problems in Literary Research, a Guide to Selected Reference Works, Main PN 523 .K4 1997.

Stevens, Guide to Literary Criticism and Research, Remote Storage PN 81 .S73 1996.

Bradley and Muller, Church History, an Introduction to Research, Reference Works, and Methods, Main, BR 138 .B69 1995. Online edition is 2016. Information on both reference sources and research and writing in church history.

Capelli, Lexicon Abbreviaturarum... Main Z 111 .C24 1979; Remote Storage Z 111 .C242 (supplement); SPC Z 111 .C24 1929 c. 2; Main Z 111 .C26 1982 (the English lang. Introduction)  The standard handbook of Latin abbreviations.  

Schrag, Princeton Guide to Historical Research Main D 16 .S345 2021

Possibly useful for suggestions about writing and software.

Research Methods Primary Sources

From Adam Matthew Digital, a company from whom we obtain a lot of our English online resources.  Introduces key approaches to working with source materials and historical evidence.  The Learning Tools part has sections on using primary sources, understanding and using various types of archives, guides to research (on visual materials, material culture, GIS, on working with databases and spreadsheets, on  on studying individuals and marginal groups, on using oral histories, on landscape and place research, and on quantitative data).  The Case Studies part offers case studies on different types of sources, topical themes such as food, and on data sets.  The Practice Sources part  includes over 300 historical items drawn from 50 archives around the world and allows you to put the lessons of the Learning Tools and Case Studies into practice.