History of Mathematics

History of Mathematics: A Guide to Doing Research in HSU Library
A Guide to Doing
Research in HSU Library

Before beginning your research project, it is recommended that you think about how comprehensive your research must be, how current your sources of information need to be, and your intended audience's level of expertise. Then define your research topic as specifically as possible and don't be afraid to refine your topic as you learn more about it. Suggested guidelines for doing library research follow and may be adapted to fit your needs.


Table of ContentsTable of Contents

How do I find background information on my topic?
How do I find books on my topic?
How do I find articles on my topic?
Mathematics Indexes
History Indexes
Biography Indexes
Another way to research -- via citations!
Does the Library have the item I need?
If the Library doesn't have the item, where can I get it?
What about resources on the Internet/WWW?
Critically evaluate the information you find

Book IconHow do I find background information on my topic?

Reference Materials

Reference materials can provide you with background information, major theories or researchers, and definitions of key terms. You may search the HSU Library Catalog and limit your search to items to the Reference Collection including electronic reference. Some of the reference sources in HSU Library are listed below:

General Biographical Information (Note: Bio-base is a microfiche index to "biographical sketches found in ... current and retrospective biographical dictionaries."  It is located in the blue filing cabinets near the first floor reference desk.) History of Science and Mathematics Women in Science and Mathematics (Note: Bio-base is a microfiche index to "biographical sketches found in ... current and retrospective biographical dictionaries."  It is located in the blue filing cabinets near the first floor reference desk.)
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Catalyst: the Library's Online CatalogHow do I find out if the Library has books on my topic?

HSU Library Catalog is the guide to books, periodicals and media in the HSU Library. United States government documents prior to 1998 and California state documents prior to 1999 are not listed in HSU Library Catalog.

Selected books in the history of mathematics are listed below. This list does not attempt to include books on the history of specific topics within mathematics, for example, geometry or differential equations. Use the HSU Library Catalog to find books on specific topics of interest.

General Histories Special Periods
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How do I find articles in periodicals on my topic?

Indexes and AbstractsIndexes/Abstracts/Databases

Linked below are lists of the indexes/abstracts/databases most appropriate for research in the history of mathematics. In addition to periodical articles, indexes and abstracts may also index articles/reports published in conference proceedings, government documents, technical reports, dissertations, and other sources. Indexes and abstracts vary in scope, depth and breadth of subject coverage. The online tutorial OWL 4: Electronic Searching Techniques and the Search Strategy Worksheet give a step-by-step description of how to develop a search strategy for electronic indexes.  There are also search strategy guides tailored to science: Identifying Concepts and Generating Search Terms and AND, OR, NOT (Boolean Operators).

Unless otherwise noted, electronic indexes and abstracts are available only to HSU faculty, students and staff.  If you are trying to connect from off-campus, you will need to "authenticate" yourself in order to connect to the databases. You will need to input your campus email login ID and password.   See Off Campus Access to Databases for more information on how to do this.

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Another way to do research -- Citation Searching!!!Another way to do research -- Citation Searching!!!

NOTE: Due to severe budget constraints, only HSU graduate students and faculty may directly access the citation index databases, SciSearch and Social SciSearch. Undergraduate students may ask for assistance at the Information Desk (hours) if they need to use SciSearch or Social SciSearch. Google Scholar may also be useful when searching citations - please see How to Use Google Scholar and the HSU Library. More sources may be found in the Citation Searching section of Searching the Scientific Literature..

If you know of a particularly relevant or "classic" article on your topic, you may use Scisearch (1974 to date) to locate more recent articles which cite that relevant article. The principle here is that the citing article is on a subject closely related to that of the earlier article. Use the Citation Searching section of Scisearch to look up the author of the highly relevant or "classic" article. If any of the author's works have been cited or listed in the bibliography of works published during the time frame of the index, it will appear in the Citation Index along with a listing of the current authors citing it. This is a way to search the literature forward from an earlier article to the present time as opposed to the more familiar practice of finding a recent article and following its bibliography or list of citations backward in time. More detail may be found in Cited Reference Searching: An Introduction or ask for assistance at the Reference Desk (hours).

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How do I find out if the Library has the item I need?How do I find out if the Library has the item I need?

Once you have a list of citations or references on the topic you are researching, you must determine if HSU Library has the article, book, report or document cited. While you are searching a database, click on the icon (or other availability link) next to each citation and a link to full text availability of that item will appear.

If there is no icon, check the Journal and Newspaper Finder, a searchable guide to the more than 15,000 journals, magazines, newspapers and other serials accessible online as well as to the print periodicals in HSU Library.  If you do not find what you want, check HSU Library Catalog for books, reports, dissertations, and the complete titles of periodicals (journals, magazines) containing articles of interest. The Journal and Newspaper Finder has been enhanced with common periodical abbreviations. You can search an abbreviation, e.g., jacs, and retrieve Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Indexes and abstracts often use abbreviations in their citations which you *may* need to decipher. Many indexes and abstracts publish separate lists of the abbreviations used. The list for the MathSciNet database is available at Search the Journals Database (MathSciNet). Consult a reference librarian at the Library's Reference Desk (hours) to locate an appropriate list of abbreviations or use the reference book Periodical Title Abbreviations: by abbreviation (ref Z 6945 A2 P47) located near the Reference Desk on the first floor. You may also use All That JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources and other resources listed on Finding Periodical Title Abbreviations to locate abbreviations and their full titles.  Do not guess at what abbreviations mean!

Remember that most government documents are not listed in HSU Library Catalog. If you wish to find a government document, consult the brochures: Finding Federal Documents at HSU and Finding California State Documents.  You may also ask a reference librarian for assistance at the Reference Desk on the first floor (hours)or outside the Humboldt Room, room 308 (hours).

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What if the Library doesn't have the item I need?What if the Library doesn't have the item I need?

If the Library does not have the book, report, document, article, etc. which you need, you may request it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This process can take as long as TWO WEEKS for books and ONE WEEK for articles so it is a good idea to begin your research early. There are also links to ILL forms from pages when the Library doesn't have full text. In addition, some databases have links to ILL forms.

Books available in other CSU libraries may be requested using the CSU Catalog's integrated ILL system.

See Interlibrary Loan Frequently Asked Questions for more information.

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What about resources available on the Internet or World Wide Web?What about resources available on the Internet or World Wide Web?

There are many resources on the history of mathematics available on the Internet and World Wide Web. History of Mathematics Resources on the Web highlights the most important sites.

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A final caveat:Critically Evaluate the Information FoundA final caveat:

You must critically evaluate the resources found online (as well as in the Library) by asking yourself the following questions:

More detailed information on how to evaluate resources may be found in the following:

Be especially careful when surfing the Web!! The following references are especially helpful and tell you what to look for (and look out for):

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Send comments and suggestions about this page to: Sharon ChadwickSend comments and suggestions about this page to: Sharon Chadwick.
Last Updated: February  6, 2008Last Updated: February 5, 2008

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