Did you know that a library, too, is a useful resource where you can get credible research materials for your paper? With plenty of different books, you can easily find quality content to use in your research paper. However, the main concern is how to do library research effectively and finish your paper as required.

In this article, we feature how to use library resources once you have your research topic.

Library research: what is library research

Library research is an action a person or a student takes to use resources from the library to get useful information for research purposes or to get answers to the given questions. Reliable library research sources can be in the form of printed books, online using the internet, past papers, magazines, and scholarly publications, among many others.

The purpose of the library is to give the researcher a wide range of materials and sources to use when researching to find information.

Library research paper: search strategies for research

Before you take a step and decide to use the library for research purposes, you must, first of all, establish how to do research in the library for productive research and avoid wasting time. Therefore, the following strategies will help you determine how to conduct research effectively.

1. Scan or browse through the books

When you have a better understanding of your topic and subtopics, the first step is to go through the books on the library shelves quickly as you check the contents. While scanning through the books can take most of your time, make sure you define your title and focus on specific categories of books to find the sources faster.

2. Focus on useful books

Sometimes, it can be hard to locate a particular book based on the nature of the topic. Should you experience such, shift the focus to books that have general ideas on many topics. Such sources include:

• Encyclopedias
• Dictionaries
• Almanacs
• Guide to reference sources
• Who’s who in America

While some tutors might be against citing some of these sources for reference, it doesn’t mean you avoid them. You can read and get useful insights into a given context.

3. Use updated sources

While you will find reliable articles, magazines, and journals, among many others, in the library for your research, all these materials should be up-to-date to ensure you use credible information. Therefore, you can use the periodical approach to get the latest published materials. Again, make sure you focus on sources that range in your niche to save time.

4. Check the credibility of the sources

The library has mixed sources you can use for your research. However, you need to produce the best research paper, and this means using reliable and credible sources, especially when using books.  

You can verify the credibility of the books by reading through the passages to find crucial information, including:

• Abstracts and findings, usually located at the beginning of the book
• Check the preface, intros, and conclusions as a preview
• Check reviews, summaries, and notes concerning the book
• Check if the book is well-referenced or cited
• Check the headings and subheadings

Checking the above highlights will show you a professionally written book that is ideal for academic purposes.

Conclusion

A library is a resourceful center for every student conducting research on a research paper. Therefore, make sure you understand how to conduct research in the library using the above tips.

History being a discipline that has existed for ages, you will come across many history research paper topics. Therefore, you must take time, analyze the topics and weigh your interests to ensure you select a researchable topic that you will enjoy writing about.

Many students always go for topics without evaluating their relevance of the topic. In the end, they struggle to do appropriate research and run out of deadlines without accomplishing the desired research objectives. Keep reading through this write-up to find appropriate ways to find and choose history research paper topics.

How to choose history topics for research paper

Do not fall for any topic that you will see first when trying to get the best research topic for your history paper. Instead, consider the following steps first to ensure you pick an appropriate topic.

• Brainstorm

Brainstorming ideas include writing down what interests you in a particular field. As you brainstorm ideas, feel free to consult other students or even your teacher for more insights.

• Do background research

After brainstorming, you will have a topic in mind. At this point, you need to choose your argument or facts to present about the topic. This will require you to do quick research to have an overview of the topic.

• Mark the keywords

Now, before deciding on the actual topic, highlight the keywords to include in the title. The keywords help during the research process.

• Narrow down your topic

At this point, you will have a broad topic. Based on the keywords, you can simplify the topic further and settle o the final topic. For instance, the broad topic can be music. You can then narrow down and highlight the exact music genre, like the rise of pop music culture, instead of the rise of music.

45 topics for history research paper

Below is a highlight of the best history research paper topics you can consider under different categories.

Art history research paper topics

1. Describe Europe’s modern art
2. Describe how history art fairs came into being
3. What role did women play in ancient arts?
4. What is the relationship between science and Ancient Greek sculptures?
5. Explore the advantages of Art therapy
6. Describe stress reduction in relation to art therapy
7. How did the Greek theatre come into being?

Best history research paper topics

8. Describe Palestine’s history
9. How did Julius Caesar rise and fall?
10. What stimulated the Syrian conflict?
11. The colonization of South American
12. Europe Literacy in the 19th century
13. What led to the great depression?
14. Industrial revolution: Describe child labor

Good history research paper topics

15. How did the Eastern empire fall?
16. The great people in the 16th century
17. Explain the Russian Revolution in WWI
18. American-Japanese Internment during WWII
19. Africa: Describe the WWII events
20. Cold war: Describe the international order
21. Describe Identity Politics

Interesting history research paper topics

22. Review lessons from World wars
23. How did the Mongol Empire rise and fall?
24. Describe the 18th-century labor unions, strikes, and conflicts
25. Explain your understanding of the underground railroad
26. Describe the Manhattan Project
27. What role did women take in the medieval age
28. Explain the best inventions of Christopher Columbus

Music history research paper topics

29. How did reggae music come into being?
30. Describe the evolution of theatre music
31. The origin of musical instruments
32. Do you think digital music should be available for free?
33. Describe bad and good music
34. The role of music in the fashion industry
35. Why music education is significant

Research paper topics about Asia

36. The history of the silk road trade
37. Describe the history of the Al-Qasimi Dynasty
38. Explain Japan’s Mongol invasion
39. Explain Chinese medicine’s history
40. The Korean war

US history research paper topics

41. The impacts of the Transcontinental railroad
42. Texas Revolution: The role of the Alamo
43. The role of Eli Whitney in the civil war
44. The immigration impact on the United States cities
45. The role of muckrakers in business and politics

Conclusion

History is a wide field with many topics to choose from. It can be arts, music, a country, or past events. You only need to have an interest in a given topic before beginning the research process. The above are simply some of the topics you can consider.

The main concerns come in when you have to determine research paper sources for your topic. In this era, easy access to the internet makes it possible to get many sources once you type the keywords. Not all the sources that pop up are effective to use in your research process. That is why you must verify sources for research process before using them. In this write-up, we give you proven approaches you can use to establish credible sources to use for research papers.

Types of sources for research paper

Before we highlight how to get good books for research papers and other sources, it is significant to explain the different sources you can use when doing your research. These sources depend on the nature of the assignment you are handling. They include:

• Primary resources

Primary sources include sources like academic journal articles, similar papers, surveys, court records, diaries, and interviews. These sources are the base of your research process, especially when conducting studies.

• Secondary resources

Secondary sources are simply detailed evaluations of primary sources. They include already written articles and books describing reviews or interpreting other academic materials.

• Tertiary resources

Under tertiary sources, we have databases, indexes, and abstracts. The tertiary sources are relevant in evaluating the organization of primary and secondary assets.

The database helps you to index and store digital copies or abstracts of credible materials online.

The abstracts help in summarizing the information you have collected from secondary and primary sources. On the other hand, indexes help in the bibliography arrangement of data.

How to use sources in a research paper

Using resources in your academic writing means using other people’s ideologies to form your own arguments. Therefore, you can use the sources in the following ways:

• Quotation

Quoting involves using the exact words from the author. Therefore, you must include quotation marks, then cite them, showing they aren’t your words and giving credit to the author. This is especially significant in academic writing to avoid plagiarism issues.

• Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing means reading the context of a source, understanding the point, then writing in your own words. When paraphrasing, also include the reference source to show you used another author’s ideas.

• Summarizing

This method works the same as paraphrasing. However, the idea is to give a conclusion of many ideas. The only difference is that you must cite when paraphrasing.

How to find sources for a research paper: pro tips

The following practical tips will help you find good books to do research papers on and other reliable sources, especially from online platforms.

1. Determine how many sources for a research paper you need

The number of sources will always depend on the nature of the assignment and your study level. Therefore, as you start highlighting your sources, always define the nature of your assignment first, then focus on getting as many sources as possible before filtering some of the irrelevant sources.

2. Define the purpose of your research

Once you have a topic, do not start researching right away. Instead, take time and evaluate the reasons for conducting the research and what you want to achieve at the end of the research. This will give you a great opportunity to select the best sources.

3. Use different materials

While it is easy to find one useful source for a given topic, try and find other materials to support your arguments. Incorporating different materials proves not only your research skills prowess but also gives your essay meaningful research. The reader, therefore, finds t interesting to keep reading through your research paper.

4. Use academic search engines

There is no doubt that using Google to research will give you many sources at once, and some of these sources aren’t reliable. Instead of this approach, focus on using credible academic sites that will give you instant and useful results, depending on the topic.

Therefore, instead of Google, use Refseek, Google Scholar, and Base for your research papers.

Conclusion

Have you always struggled to establish credible materials for your academic research papers? Well, the struggle should be over when you apply the above tips.

Purpose of introduction

The introduction of your research paper should

• Introduce your research topic, and give a background to it.
• Present an overview of the subject while keeping the reader interesting to continue reading.
• The introduction also tells readers the expected

Now below is a guide to writing an excellent introduction

Start broadly and narrow down

When introducing your topic, first describe it in the broader perspective before narrowing it down to the aspect you want to focus on. Doing this gives your research a wider reach and broader audience than just focusing primarily on the basics from the start.

State the relevance of the research

A research paper attracts attention only when it is relevant to the field of study. In your introduction, state clearly what the research seeks to achieve and its importance to academia, industry, or social life. This grabs the attention of readers and makes them interested in the topic.

Cite as needed

Using other people’s work is inevitable when writing a research paper. Using a custom college paper writing service to figure out how to do it in a proper way is sometimes necessary, too. The literature and sources you use should be referenced appropriately to give your work the credibility it deserves.

Avoid giving many citations for a point

Even though it is important to cite your sources, limit the number of citations you give to the points you make. Although some points may require long referencing, it would be best to cite only the most relevant sources.

Clearly state your hypothesis or research question

If your research field is in empirical sciences, stating your hypothesis can help you frame your research. If your research is in the formal sciences or is exploratory, using the research question is advisable.

Short and concise

Your introduction shouldn’t be very long and bulky. Instead, keep it short and concise, between 500 and 1000 words. You may also have to follow the guidelines given by your tutor.

Tell why the topic is important

Many students fail to tell their audience the need for the research they are undertaking. Don’t just state that your research is necessary; instead, give reasons for it. Instead of “developing new components is critical for the automotive industry,” you can put it like “developing new components is important for the automotive industry to create stronger, and lighter vehicles that will enhance peoples safety and fuel economy.”

Conclusion

The introduction of your paper should always be given the highest level of attention and care. As an opening to your paper, you are bound to pay dearly if you mess it up. Therefore, plan and execute it well by including the research statement, aim, and research question.

What makes a strong thesis statement?

The thesis statement forms part of your research paper’s introduction and appears typically in the second paragraph. Afterward, it is supported by the body paragraphs. A good thesis statement should:

Identify an argument

Your thesis should be clear in its tonne and argument with a little controversy. This means a statement of fact does not really make a good thesis statement. For example, saying that “dogs are cute” is very raw, with fewer elements to debate. However, when you say, “dogs are cute because of their eyes, sizes, and floppy ears,” it becomes debatable and highly contestable because some people may think otherwise.

Answer the research question

Aside from being debatable, your thesis statement should briefly answer your research question. You should ensure that the evidence or research you’ve done on the topic backs the claims in the statement. It is therefore important to research, get your findings before coming up with your thesis statement. Anything contrary to that may fail to work.

Should be clear and concise

Despite its relevance to your entire research paper, the thesis statement should be concise and straight to the point. However, it shouldn’t be too short or broad. For example, “the local government can tackle climate change if citizens are provided with recycle bins and taught about conversation and composting” is a better statement than “the central government should act on climate change now,” which is too broad. The former is small in scope and, therefore, easier to work on.

Thesis Statement Examples

1. Healthy children should receive vaccinations to have herd immunity since not all children cannot be vaccinated due to illness.
2. Students from low-income families should have access to educational resources during summer holidays to ensure they continue the learning process
3. Populist ideology took center stage in the 2016 political campaigns due to the rise in globalization, the Syrian refugee crisis, and manufacturing job decline.
4. Despite being an upfront cost for parents, school uniforms diminish the income gap between students and present a conducive school atmosphere for all.
5. Local governments should heavily fund libraries in their catchment areas due to its enormous benefits.
6. Medical marijuana should be legalized and made available to veterans since research has proven that its use has helped veterans who have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
7. Office workers should have the opportunity to work more from home and given just six-hour workdays for an excellent work-life balance and enhance productivity at the office.
8. Hefty taxes on cigarette doesn’t stop people from smoking, instead overburdens the poor Americans who smoke. Instead, governments should spend money on educating people about the dangers of smoking.
9. Veganism is for the privileged in society, despite it being the healthiest and right way of eating. That aside, it curtails one from exploring the cultural dishes of other countries as you travel.
10. Governments should legalize assisted suicide for patients with terminal illnesses, and doctors must ensure these patients have their last will honored.