To find recent peer-reviewed scholarly articles in JSTOR on a topic such as the evolution of military technology during and after the Industrial Revolution in the United States, follow these steps:
1. Access JSTOR:
- Select JSTOR from the list of databases in the Multidisciplinary Databases box on the Databases page.
2. Navigate to the Search Interface:
- On the JSTOR homepage, use the search bar at the top to enter your query. For more precise results, click “Advanced Search” (located below the search bar).
3. Use Effective Search Terms:
- Enter a combination of keywords to target your topic. For example:
- "military technology" AND "Industrial Revolution" AND "United States"
- ("military technology" OR "weapons development" OR "military innovation") AND ("Industrial Revolution" OR "industrialization") AND ("United States" OR "USA")
- Use quotation marks around phrases (e.g., "military technology") to search for exact terms.
- Combine terms with Boolean operators:
- AND to ensure all terms are included (e.g., military technology AND Industrial Revolution).
- OR to include synonyms or related terms (e.g., military technology OR weapons development).
- NOT to exclude irrelevant topics (e.g., NOT Europe).
4. Refine Your Search with Filters:
- After running your search, use the filters on the left-hand side of the results page to narrow your results:
- Content Type: Select “Journals” or “Articles” to focus on scholarly articles.
- Access: Check “Content I can access” to view articles available through your institution or open-access content. If you have full access, this may not be necessary.
- Publication Date: Adjust the date range to focus on recent articles (e.g., 2015–2025 for contemporary analyses). Note that JSTOR includes a lot of historical content, so recent articles may be limited.
- Discipline: Filter by relevant disciplines like History, Military Studies, Science & Technology Studies, or American Studies.
- Journal Filter: Focus on peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of Military History, Technology and Culture, or American Historical Review.
5. Advanced Search Option:
- For more precise results, use the Advanced Search feature:
- Enter terms in separate fields, e.g.:
- Field 1: military technology OR weapons development (select “Full Text” or “Abstract”).
- Field 2: Industrial Revolution OR industrialization (select “Full Text” or “Abstract”).
- Field 3: United States OR USA (select “Geographic Location” or “Keyword”).
- Use the “Narrow by” options to limit to Articles, Peer-Reviewed Journals, and a specific date range (e.g., 2015–2025).
- Add terms like post-Industrial Revolution or 19th century to capture the “during and after” timeframe.
6. Review and Select Articles:
- Browse the search results to identify relevant articles. Check the title, abstract, and journal name to ensure the article addresses the evolution of military technology in the U.S. during and after the Industrial Revolution.
- Click on the article title to view the full record, including the abstract and, if available, a PDF. JSTOR typically provides full-text access to journal articles through institutional subscriptions.
- If the full text isn’t available, copy and paste the title into Google to see if it is available for free, or request an interlibrary loan.
7. Save and Export Results:
- Save articles to your JSTOR account by clicking “Save” (requires a free JSTOR account).
- Export citations using the “Cite This Item” tool, which provides formats like APA, MLA, or Chicago for use in reference managers like NoodleTools, Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote.
- Download PDFs (if available) for offline reading or use the “View PDF” option.
8. Tips for Better Results:
- Explore Subject Headings: After running a search, check the “Subject” tags in article records to find standardized terms (e.g., “Military Technology,” “Industrial Revolution,” “United States—History”) for more targeted searches.
- Check Cited References: If you find a relevant article, review its bibliography or use JSTOR’s “Items Citing This Item” feature to discover related studies.
- Broaden or Narrow Search: If results are sparse, broaden terms (e.g., use “technology” instead of “military technology” or “19th century” instead of “Industrial Revolution”). If too many results appear, add specific terms like “firearms,” “naval technology,” or “Civil War.”
- Timeframe Consideration: The Industrial Revolution typically refers to the late 18th to early 19th century, but its impact extended into the 20th century. Include terms like “post-Industrial Revolution” or “20th century” to capture later developments.
9. Troubleshooting:
- If recent articles (post-2015) are limited, it’s because JSTOR emphasizes historical content. Broaden the date range or focus on journals like Technology and Culture or Journal of Military History.
- If you need help with specific search strings or navigating the platform, view a video tutorial and/or request a research consultation with Mr. Moore.