Guides: HIST 314: Themes in British Isles History: Home

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Encyclopedia of Human Rights by David P. Forsythe

Find primary sources

Top choices

Human Rights Studies Online (Alexander Street)
Comparative documentation, analysis, and interpretation of major human rights violations and atrocity crimes worldwide from 1900 to 2010. (Text and video).

Amnesty International Archives
Amnesty International Archives explore[s] the growth of the human rights movement during the second half of the twentieth century through the International Secretariat records of Amnesty International. The material within this collection is vital for studying the history of key political events, global social change and the development of a global movement for human rights covering themes including state violence, political prisoners, minority rights and more.

At McGill

John Peters Humphrey Fonds (McGill University Archives)
The fonds of the accession files consists of correspondence, drafts for the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (1947), publications, conference material, relating to human rights worldwide, diaries, plaques given to honour professor Humphrey's work on the United Nations Declaration for Human Rights, related photographs and books used in the exhibit. Finding aid available on the righthand side of the page linked. To request materials, email refdesk.archives@mcgill.ca.

Other thematic digital collections

Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice, 1490-2007 (Adam Matthew)
Bringing together primary source documents from archives and libraries across North America and the UK, this resource allows students and researchers to explore and compare unique material relating to the complex subjects of slavery, abolition and social justice.
Empire Online (Adam Matthew)
Brings together manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials from the past 500 years for the study of 'Empire' and its theories, practices and consequences.
Text mining is permitted, but certain conditions apply. Please contact Digital Scholarship Hub
Women's Studies (Adam Matthew)
A breadth of printed and manuscript sources over four centuries, providing a multitude of perspectives on the changing roles of women in history. This collection offers access to the works and legacy of many notable and influential women, but also a chance to hear the voices of forgotten and ordinary women.
Text mining is permitted, but certain conditions apply. Please contact Digital Scholarship Hub
British Newsreels, 1911-1930: Culture and Society on Film (Adam Matthew)
A large collection of newsreels produced by the Topical Film Company providing a glimpse into the early twentieth century - from everyday interests, such as sport and fashion, to coverage of key events, such as the First World War, the Suffragette Movement, and the establishment of the Irish Free State.

Find secondary sources

Find books and eBook

Library Catalogue

Find scholarly journal articles

Historical Abstracts (EBSCO)
This contains references to journal articles, book reviews and some dissertations about the history of all parts of the world from 1450 on, EXCLUDING Canada and the United States. In the search options, select "Peer Reviewed" and enter "Historical Period" (e.g., Start Year: 1900 To End Year: 1940).
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)
A scholarly, multidisciplinary database providing indexing and abstracts for over 10,000 publications, including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, and others.

Cite your sources

History as a discipline uses the Chicago Manual of Style (18th edition) for citations, and usually the Notes-Bibliography form. This requires creating properly formatted footnotes footnotes and a Bibliography for your assignments. Resources to understand the Chicago style of citations are included below.

Note: Chicago Manual of Style updated to the 18th edition in September 2024.

HCS Guide to the Chicago Manual of Style
A guide to the Chicago Manual of Style developed for students in History and Classics (18th edition).

The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition
Publication Date: 2024
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Ninth Edition by Kate L. Turabian
Call Number: LB2369 T8 2018

Publication Date: 2018

A guide to Chicago Manual of Style with more information on hard-to-cite or unusual sources than the original manual. Note that this manual has not yet been updated to reflect the changes in the 18th edition of Chicago.

Guides

Chicago Manual of Style Citation Quick Guide
McGill Library Citation Subject Guide
Under "citation styles by subject", select "History" for more resources on Chicago style.

Library Support

Chicago Workshops
McGill Librarians offer virtual Chicago Citation Style workshops every term. Follow this link to find and register for upcoming workshops!
Citation Management
Attend a workshop to learn how to use Zotero or EndNote, useful citation management systems. Zotero is highly recommended for History students!