Research in
History
Prof. Sarah Cohn
3/30/26

Why Library?
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One isn't better than the other
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Different information needs require different places to search.
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The library is a resource for you as CCNY students
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Utilize all the tools available to you.
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Librarians are nice and helpful!
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LLMs & Generative AI
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Fake sources
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Cognitive offloading
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What do you give up when you outsource thinking and the process of learning to a machine?
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Howe we learn!
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Process, problem solving, failure
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Environmental concerns
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Is it worth it?
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Searching as (strategic) Exploration
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Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative.
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You might not find the exact 'answer' to your questions.
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Think of your sources as puzzle pieces, each with their own bit of information or context that work together to provide a complete picture.
Scholarly
Popular
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Author & Audience
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by journalists for the general public
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Publication
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newspaper or magazine
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Content
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human interest hook, photos, little or no specialized language, background on topic
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Citations
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links within the text
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Author & Audience
by academics & researchers for other academics & researchers
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Publication
peer reviewed journal
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Content
original research, data, findings, theoretical framework, specialized language
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Citations
Works cited or bibliography
Secondary
Primary
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Author & Audience
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by journalists for the general public
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Author & Audience
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by academics & researchers for other academics & researchers
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Author & Audience
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by journalists for the general public
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Tertiary
GreenFILE
Covers the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology.
General Science Full Text
Includes popular science magazines as well as professional journals and The New York Times Science Section.
Science Magazine
Publish high quality in research across the sciences, with articles that consistently rank among the most cited in the world.
OneSearch
Multi-disciplinary database with peer-reviewed journal articles, books, & media.
library.ccny.cuny.edu

Think about different ways to describe your topic in individual words or phrases.
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Identify your key words
Combine 2 or more search terms, adding any relevant filters.
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Build a search & test it out
Do the results look promising, interesting, or relevant? If not, change a search term and try again.
Repeat until you're seeing relevant articles.
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Evaluate the results & change the search as needed
Getting Help
Sarah Cohn
scohn@ccny.cuny.edu
ccny.libcal.com/appointments/scohn
Reference Desk
Monday-Friday 10am-7pm
Friday 10am-4pm
library.ccny.cuny.edu/chat
World Civ Spring 2026
By Sarah Cohn
World Civ Spring 2026
Yaari Felber-Seligman
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