Search Phrase Bank & Query Builder — Shared Commodity, Divided Lenses
This tool helps you build effective academic search strings. Browse the phrase banks below and click any tag to add it to your collected query — then copy or search directly.
Remember: You are not collecting background — you are collecting interpretations. If your article doesn't clearly take a position or make an argument, it's probably not strong enough.
Click any phrase tag to add it to your collected query above. Each lens corresponds to one group member's research focus.
Focus: extraction, ecology, landscape change, pre-imperial systems
Focus: slavery, indenture, wage labor, discipline, resistance
Focus: tariffs, chartered companies, state-building, imperial governance
Focus: trade routes, finance, global demand, consumer culture
Click to add any commodity to your query.
Add one to narrow your results to a specific area.
Use these for stronger, argument-driven articles.
"free trade imperialism"cotton AND tariff AND Mexicoslavery OR indenture OR coercion"rubber labor coercion Congo 1890"Project Instructions:
HIST 107 Research Group Project Instructions (Google Doc)
Databases:
JSTOR |
Project MUSE |
MJC Library Databases A–Z
Citation Style:
Turabian / Chicago Style Guide (MJC Library) |
Chicago Manual of Style