History

This page will provide you with some tips and tricks to make your research a breeze! If you still can't find what you need, please don't hesitate to contact the library! You can find our contact information and more on the Get Help page.

To get you started, here are some general search strategies:

Keyword Strategies

Use these keywords in a general search in any one of our recommended databases or inside DragonQuest:

• Islam AND Israel 
• Six Pillars of Islam 
• “Mandate for Palestine” AND Diplomatic 
• Arab-Israeli Conflict 
• Zionism 
• Nakba 
• “Baath Party” AND America 
• “Saddam Hussein” AND America 
• Shah of Iran AND America 
• Iran-Iraq War 
• Cold War AND “Middle East” 
• Islamic Caliphate 
• Ottoman Empire AND Israeli Palestinian Conflict 
• Treaty of Sevres 
• Arab Spring AND Democracy 

Subject Strategies

Searching for results by subject heading, rather than by keywords, can help you focus your search in new directions. Consider these subject search options:

• "Middle East-United States relations” 
• “Iraq-United States relations” 
• “Iran-Iraq War” 
• “Turkish Revolution, 1918-1923" 
• “Islamic State” 
• “Ethnic Cleansing” 
• “Palestinian Refugees” 
• “Israeli-Occupied Territories” 
• “Arab Spring Uprisings, 2010-2012" 
• “Yemeni Revolution, 2011-2012" 

The following image shows you how to change your search to a subject search by using the dropdown menu inside DragonQuest:

Research Starters

Need some extra guidance? Try a Research Starter:

• “Sunni Islam” 

• “Shia Islam” 

• “Balfour Declaration Supports a Jewish Homeland in Palestine” 

• “League of Nations Establishes Mandate for Palestine” 

• “Peel Commission” 

• “Arab-Israeli Conflict” 

• “Gaza Strip” 

• “West Bank (region), Palestine” 

• “Yom Kippur War” 

• “Zionism” 

What is a Research Starter?

Research Starters are encyclopedia entries, so they are more of an "idea gathering" mechanism than a scholarly source to support your stance on an issue. They provide you with background information on a broad topic and highlight keywords you can use and/or links to source material to get you started on your research. 

Narrowing DragonQuest Search Results

If you'd like to know how to narrow down your DragonQuest list to only full text, peer reviewed, or specific types of resources, we recommend the following tutorial:

If you'd like additional guidance on using Academic Writer, we recommend the following tutorial: