World History: A Research Guide
History scholars piece together the past by uncovering information through a variety of sources,
some obscure and others standard. This guide introduces researchers to some of the basic
informational sources on the topic. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below
can be used to search for more materials in the library’s catalog and research databases. If you
need further assistance, please ask a librarian.
Books
The American Historical Association’s Guide to Historical Literature, 3rd ed. edited by Mary Beth
Norton and Pamela Gerardi. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN:
0195057279.
Guide to historical literature for all periods and areas of the world. Especially strong on European
history, with sections on individual countries, the expansion of Europe, World Wars I and II, and
international relations.
Chronology of World History: A Calendar of Principal Events from 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1976, 2nd
ed. edited by Greville Stewart Parker Freeman-Grenville. London: Rex Collins, 1978. ISBN:
0901720674.
Chronology of world events including coverage of non-European history.
Dictionary of Concepts in History edited by Harry Ritter. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986.
ISBN: 0313227004.
Includes key concepts of contemporary historical analysis. Entries include a brief definition of the
concept and a summary of its history, a list of references cited, and a bibliography of sources for
further reading.
A Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century World History edited by John Belchem and Richard Price.
Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1994. ISBN: 0631183523.
Includes 800 entries covering all aspects of political, diplomatic, military, social, and economic
history, and provides overviews of the cultural and artistic developments of the period.
The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged,
6th ed. edited by Peter N. Stearns and William L. Langer. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
ISBN: 0395652375.
Chronology of more than 20,000 entries that span the millennia from prehistoric times to the year
2000 grouped by geographic regions. Completely revised in this expanded edition.
Everyman’s Dictionary of Dates, 7th ed. (revised) edited by Audrey Butler. London: J. M. Dent &
Sons, 1987. ISBN: 0460029053.
Chronology of world events in dictionary format with entries under the names of countries.
Historical Journals: A Handbook for Writers and Reviewers, 2nd ed. edited by Dale R. Steiner
and Casey R. Phillips. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1993. ISBN: 0899508014.
A guide for writers interested in placing works for publication in historical journals. Brief sections
offering advice on articles and book reviewing are followed by an alphabetical listing of about 700
historical journals.
Historical Periodicals Directory edited by Eric H. Boehm, Barbara H. Pope, and Marie Ensign. 5
vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1981–1986. ISBN: 0874360188.
Guide to historical periodicals.
The Modern Researcher, 6th ed. edited by Jacques Barzun and Henry F. Graff. Belmont, CA:
Thomson/Wadsworth, 1992. ISBN: 0155055291.
Introduction to the techniques of research and the art of expression is used widely in
historiography.
Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide, 2nd ed. by Ronald H. Fritze, Brian E.
Coutts, and Louis Andrew Vyhnanek. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2004. ISBN:
0874368839.
An annotated bibliography of reference materials useful to historians, including bibliographies,
periodical guides and indexes, newspapers, statistical sources, government publications, and
biographical sources.
Sources of Information for Historical Research edited by Thomas P. Slavens. New York: NealSchuman, 1994. ISBN: 1555700934.
Sources organized by geography (country or continent), genre, and type of holding. All works
listed are annotated. The imprints are primarily in English and are arranged by LC classification
number. Access is further enhanced by author, title, and subject indexes.
Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. 15 vols. Anne Commire and Deborah
Klezmer. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999– . ISBN: 07863736X.
Over 10,000 articles about individual women from many nations both living and dead.
Journals
American Historical Review
China Quarterly
History in Africa
International Journal of Middle East Studies
Journal of Medieval History
Middle Eastern Studies
Modern Asian Studies
Russian Studies in History
Slavic Review
William and Mary Quarterly
Yearbook of German-American Studies
Web Sites
HistoryWorld
www.historyworld.net
400 separate historical articles and descriptions of approximately 4,000 world events. Emphasis
on English history.
WebChronology Project
http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/
A multidimensional chronology. Uses Web links to illustrate the relationship between long term
and short term events and view the relation between events in one field to events in another.
Women in World History
www.womeninworldhistory.com
Full of information and resources to help you learn about women’s history in a global, non-U.S.,
context.
Subject Headings
Tips for constructing subject searches: Include keywords that indicate the time period, geographic
period and the type of information sought (i.e., encyclopedias, dictionaries).
• civilization—history—encyclopedias
• history—outlines, syllabi, etc.
• history, modern—19th century
• history, modern—20th century
• military history, modern—20th century
• revolutions—history—20th century