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Wellesley College Research Guides

AFR 390: A History of Slavery and Racism in the North

Welcome!

This guide provides some useful starting places and strategies for doing research for this course. I'm happy to help! Reach out to me about any aspect of your research, from developing a research question to finding, evaluating, and citing sources. 

Karen Storz, Research & Instruction Librarian

Get Started with SuperSearch

Trying some initial searches in SuperSearch can be a great way to begin to explore a topic from many angles across a variety of disciplines and types of sources. Start with a simple search and scan the results, paying attention to aspects of the topic that jump out at you or resonate with you.

Because SuperSearch contains so much content from so many different kinds of sources, the results can sometimes be overwhelming and hard to focus. At the same time, SuperSearch is also not comprehensive and can miss key sources. To search with more focus, precision, and depth, try some of the databases and other resources recommended below and on the other pages of this guide.

Explore a Topic in Encyclopedias & Other Reference Sources

Specialized encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and other reference works can be good starting places for getting an overview of a topic, definitions of key terms, and suggestions for further reading.