The fifth edition of Going to the Sources maintains its sterling reputation as one of the most accessible and student-friendly introductions to historiography. This text, accessible to students at the community college, undergraduate, and, in some cases, even beginning graduate school level, outlines the fundamental methods utilized in the research and writing of history. The new edition features updates and enchancements, along iwth the addition of a new chapter addressing the use of film and other nontextual sources by historians - for example, how a film like D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation can influence perceptions of history. Other chapters maintain a focus on the basics of the historian's craft, including selecting and refining a topic; and locating and utilizing the necessary books, articles, essays, and online sources. Students are shown how to engage effectively in critical reading, interpreting, notetaking, writing, and revising. The creation of a historiographical essay and a longer research paper are discussed in detail. Methodological matters are interwoven with a discussion of the dynamic nature of history, in which the concept of revisionism is central and reveals that new interpretations of the past are an essential corollary to changing social, political, economic, and cultural structures. With a wealth of updates, revisions, and enhancements, Going to the Sources is a student's most valuable "go-to" source for research and historical writing. -- from back cover.

1. The ever-changing shape and texture of the past -- Static and dynamic concepts of history -- Revising our view of the past -- New forms of historical consciousness -- Toward a "people's history" -- Minorities and women enter history -- The Annales School and Cliometrics -- Psychology and history -- Microhistory and macrohistory -- Postmodernism -- A multitude of avenues to the past -- 2. The nature and variety of historical sources -- Primary sources -- Manuscript sources -- Published sources -- Secondary works -- Books -- Essays -- Articles -- Dissertations and conference papers -- 3. Finding your sources : the online library catalog and beyond -- The online library catalog -- Subject headings, keywords, and title words -- Creating and using a research bibliography -- Published bibliographies -- Printed and electronic indexes and abstracts -- Finding scholarly essays -- Other important databases -- Historical research on the internet -- Finding useful reference materials -- 4. Getting the most out of history books : critical reading and assessment -- The meed for more effective reading -- Finding out about authors -- Comparing similar works of history -- Reviewing a history book -- 5. Beyond textual sources : historians' use of other media -- Words, images, and the historical imagination -- The Birth of a Nation : entertainment, propaganda, and critical response -- Reading, viewing, reflecting : a case study -- The evolving integration of text and image -- 6. Exploring changing interpretations : the historiographic essay -- Selecting and refining a topic -- Research for a historiographic essay : a case study -- Writing the historiographic essay -- Alternative approaches -- 7. Engaging with primary sources : the research paper -- Searching for a viable topic -- Finding primary sources -- Approaching your reading -- Notetaking -- The outline and structure of your paper -- Some elements of effective writing -- An open mind and intellectual honesty -- Quoting -- Footnoting -- Editing and revising -- One final look -- 8. Conclusion : the open-ended nature of history -- Appendix A. Published bibliographies -- Appendix B. Major databases for bibliographic searching -- Appendix C. Footnote/endnote formatting -- Appendix D. Bibliography formatting -- Appendix E. Commonly used abbreviations.