Subject Librarian
Finding Background Information
Use these sources to gain familiarity with your topic, narrow your research question, provide context, and identify experts.
Note on search terminology
Latin America is generally considered to include the entire continent of South America along with Mexico, Central America and the islands of the Caribbean whose inhabitants speak Spanish, French, and Portuguese (i.e., Romance languages.)
When searching, using Latin America will find materials that discuss collectively several or all of the countries described above. To search for a specific nation(s), use the individual country names.
- Encyclopedia of Latin American History and CultureProvides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view of Latin American history and culture from prehistoric times to the present.
- Latin American History and Culture: Encyclopedia of Early Modern Latin AmericaCovers the history and culture of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean from the 1820s to 1900.
- Encyclopedia of Modern Latin AmericaCovers the history and culture of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean from the 20th century through the present day.
- The Encyclopedia of Caribbean ReligionsCovers religious traditions such as Vodou, Rastafari, Sunni Islam, Sanatan Dharma, Judaism, and the Roman Catholic and Seventh-day Adventist churches.
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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Use to find quick facts, images or background information on various topics in dictionaries and encyclopedias. - History Reference Source This link opens in a new window
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Features reference books, history periodicals, and other secondary sources as well as thousands of historical documents. Oriented towards high schools and undergraduate researchers.
Choosing a Topic
Taking the time to carefully choose and refine your topic can save you significant time and effort later in your research.
- How to Choose a TopicThis short video tells you the questions to ask and describes the process of choosing a workable research question.
Primary and Secondary Sources in History
Primary sources = Evidence
- Created during the time period or event you are studying, or produced by a participant (even if after the fact)
- Primary sources are defined by how they are used (i.e. as evidence for interpretation of the past) rather than by what they are (i.e. format or type of material)
Secondary sources = Analysis and interpretation
- Written by historians, scholars, and other researchers
- Secondary sources are based on the analysis and interpretation of primary evidence and other sources