Sample Outline

  1. Introduction
    1. UW Libraries description
    2. Types of material available at the UW Libraries
    3. Units/buildings of the UW Libraries that students are most likely to use

  2. Developing a topic
    1. History Day sample topics
    2. Preliminary research on a topic using subject encyclopedias
    3. Example(s)

  3. Secondary and Primary sources
    1. Explain secondary sources
      • What are they?
      • Why use them?
      • What is a scholarly journal?
      • How to find them?
    2. Explain primary sources
      • Types of primary sources
      • Why use them?
      • How to find them?

  4. Databases
    1. Explanation of Catalog
      • UW Libraries Catalog
    2. Explanation of Index
      • List of 3-5 useful indexes with descriptions

  5. Search strategy
    1. Developing search terms
    2. Using Boolean
    3. Using truncation
    4. Sample search statements (test them out and see if they actually work)

  6. Web Sites
    1. List and describe 3-5
    2. Web evaluation pointers