Japanese History

I. Getting started

A. Choose a topic.

A research guide can give you a good introduction to subject areas new to you. A research guide discusses finding aids and research techniques appropriate to the discipline, basic and advanced writings essential to the content and study of the field, and commentary on the literature of a subject.
Research guides for Japanese history:
Japan and the Japanese: a Bibliographic Guide to Reference Sources.
Soc Sci Ref DS 835 .X1 J372 1996
A Student Guide to Japanese Sources in the Humanities.
DS 806 .X1 M35
Japanese Studies from pre-History to 1990: a Bibliographical Guide.
Soc Sci Ref DS 806 .X1 J36 1992
Research in Japanese Sources: A Guide
DS 806 .A12 W43x 1994
Research Methods in Japanese Studies: Diplomatic History
DS 845 .K67x 1988
Japanese Biographies: Life Histories, Life Cycles, Life Stages.
AS 143 .V31 Vol. 590

B. Identify topic words and phrases.

  1. Bibliography of Asian Studies Subjects
  2. Key words, names, events
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C. Find background information.

Encyclopedias:
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II. Finding Research Material

A. Bibliographies

An Introductory Bibliography for Japanese Studies.
Soc Sci Ref DS 806 .X1157
Japan.
Soc Sci Ref DS 806 .X1S84
Japanese History and Culture from Ancient to Modern Times: Seven Basic Bibliographies.
Asian Ref DS 835 .X1 D69 1995
Area Bibliography of Japan
Soc Soc Ref DS 706 .X1 K661x 1998

B. Indexes

  1. Bibliography of Asian Studies

    2. Indexes books and articles published worldwide on all subjects pertaining to East, Southeast, and South Asia. Updated quarterly. 1971-
  2. Historical Abstracts (ABC-CLIO)

    3. Indexes and abstracts scholarly articles, books, and dissertations on the history of the world (excluding the U.S. and Canada) from 1450 to the present. Updated three times a year. 1972-
  3. Research Library (ProQuest)

    4. Indexes and abstracts articles in popular and scholarly periodicals and selected newspapers in all disciplines. Many articles are full-text. 1986-
  4. Academic Search Premier (EBSCO)

    5. 1984+ Provides indexing and abstracts for nearly 2,880 journals and full text for over 1,250 academic, social sciences, humanities, general science, education, and multi-cultural journals. Over half of the journals are peer reviewed. Full text backfiles as far back as January 1990. Updated daily.
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C. Books

  1. Use the BYU Library Catalog to look up your topic by keyword or subject.
  2. Go to the bookstacks and browse through the books in the call numbers for your subject:

      3. DS 803 Yearbooks
      DS 806 .X1 Bibliographies
      DS 808-811 Travel accounts, guides
      DS 815 Prehistoric Japan
      DS 821 Japanese civilization and culture
      DS 822 Early Japanese civilization
      DS 822.2 Tokugawa Japan, civilization
      DS 822.3 Meiji Japan, civilization
      DS 825 Japanese women
      DS 827 Japanese customs
      DS 832 Ainu people
      DS 835 Survey histories of Japan
      DS 836 Samurai military history
      DS 839.7 Naval history of Japan
      DS 850 Premodern Japan
      DS 851 Nara period
      DS 854 Heian period 794-1185
      DS 857 Japan 1185-1600
      DS 859 Kamakura period
      DS 864 Muromachi period
      DS 868 Period of civil waars
      DS 871 Tokugawa period
      DS 881-882 19th century Japan
      DS 888.5 Japan 1926-1945
      DS 889 Postwar Japan
      DS 891 Heisei era
      DS 894 Local history
      DS 896 Cities of Japan
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D. Japanese History on the World Wide Web

    1. Japan World Wide Web Virtual Library: History

      2. http://web-japan.org

III. Write the paper.

A. Collect and evaluate sources.
B. Keep complete author, title, and place of publication information.
C. Think.
D. Write.
E. Take notes in your own words.
F. Think.
G. Write.
H. Revise.
I. Think.
J. Polish and hand in.
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Comments to gail_king@byu.edu