The Holt Researcher Web site will help you find the information you need. Inside are valuable facts about American History, World History, and Economy and Government.

Click below to find out how to use the Holt Researcher and Holt Grapher.

Search Techniques for Using the Holt Researcher
Instructions for Using the Holt Grapher
Types of Graphs
Creating Graphs
Saving Graphs
HRW Download Tutorial

HOLT RESEARCHER


Search Techniques for Using the Holt Researcher
There are several ways to find more information about a certain person, place, or event in history. These search tips help you find the facts you need.

A Free Find Search
The Free Find search option lets you type in a specific keyword or keywords related to your research. The blue pull-down menus help narrow the search to the information you need. For example, if you type New York in the Free Find field, a large mixture of information will appear. However, if you want to see a map of the state, type New York, then use the Categories pull-down menu to select Maps and Charts. Searching within a subject or category allows you to focus on only the information most relevant to your search.

A More General Search
When you are not sure which keyword to use, or you want a wide selection of information about your topic, use the Subject Search directories. With these yellow menus, you may search in three broad subjects (American History, World History & Culture, and Economy and Government) plus focus on detailed categories within these subjects. For example, if you want to research important Supreme Court cases, but don't know the exact name of the case, go to the Economy and Government section on the home page and select Citizenship and Law from the pull down menu.

Honing Your Search
For best results, choose your keywords carefully. Try an obvious keyword first. If you're looking for information about General Dwight Eisenhower, enter "Eisenhower" rather than "generals."

To find the information you need, try variations of keywords. For example, if you are looking for information about America, you may want to use both "America" and "American" as keywords.

The Holt Researcher engine is not case sensitive. This means you will retrieve the same information by typing "Abraham Lincoln" or "abraham lincoln."

When you use the Subject directories, you may sort the retrieved results by Record Names, Category, or Time Period. This would be helpful, for example, if you had a list of Supreme Court cases and you wanted to sort them in chronological order.

HOLT GRAPHER

Instructions for Using the Holt Grapher
The Holt Grapher helps you analyze and interpret data by allowing you to build graphs. You can create line graphs, multiple-line graphs, bar graphs, grouped-bar graphs, and pie charts by using information from the database or other sources.

For each type of graph, you must first fill the data table with the information you collected. You will title your graph and label the x-axis and y-axis. (The x-axis is the horizontal line and the y-axis is the vertical line.) The next step is filling in the numbers or data that make each graph unique.

Before you can build the data table, however, you must know which type of graph is most suitable for your data. Once you find the appropriate graph below, click on the title and learn more about making that graph.

Types of Graphs

Line Graphs
A line graph can be used to show changes over time, using a single set of data. For example, you might use a line graph to show the population growth in Florida between 1900 and 1990.

Multiple-Line Graphs
A multiple-line graph can be used to compare several sets of similar data. A multiple-line graph would be helpful in showing the population growth in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana between 1900 and 1990.

Bar Graphs
A bar graph can be used to compare quantities, using a single set of data. You might choose a bar graph to compare daily newspaper circulation in the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Grouped-Bar Graphs
A grouped-bar graph can be used to compare several sets of data. A grouped-bar graph could compare five different technologies in the United States, France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Pie Charts
A pie chart can be used to show the relationship of parts to a whole. A pie chart would be helpful in showing the percentages of the popular vote won by each presidential candidate in the election of 1996.

Creating Graphs

Making a Line Graph
The data table for a line graph will have only two active columnsżone for the x-axis labels and one for the y-axis data. To make a line graph for the previously mentioned example, you would start with a data table like this:

First, title your graph "Population of Florida." The x-axis should be labeled Year and the y-axis Population. The first (yellow) column in the table is for the x-axis data, which in this case would be the various years between 1900 and 1990. The second (blue) column is for the y-axis data. The population numbers go in these cells. Data entered into the gray cells in the table will not be graphed.

Once you have filled in all the data (graph title, x-axis label, y-axis label, gridlines options, y-axis range, numerical data cell titles, and numerical data) click on the Create Graph button.

The line graph created should look like the example above.

Options
You have the option of showing the gridlines on your final graph. Sometimes it is easier to read a graph with gridlines; other times it is more difficult. Experiment with this option.

Unless you click on the manual button, the computer will generate the y-axis range. Experiment with this option as well. If you were creating a series of graphs and wanted to easily compare them, you might want to have the same y-axis range on all the graphs.

To empty your data from the table and create a new line graph, click Clear Data. To select a different type of graph or chart, click on the Previous Screen button.

Making a Multiple-Line Graph
The data table for a multiple-line graph will have up to six columnsżone for the x-axis labels and up to five for the y-axis data. To make a multiple-line graph for the previously mentioned data, you would start with a data table like this:

First, title your graph "Population of Five States." The x-axis should be labeled Year and the y-axis Population.

Notice that the years (the x-axis labels in the yellow column) are the same for each state. The blue columns include the population datażone column per state. Each state's name goes in the cell above the appropriate column. These names will become the legend labels. Data entered into the gray cells will not be graphed.

Once you have filled in all the data (graph title, x-axis label, y-axis label, gridlines options, y-axis range, numerical data cell titles, and numerical data) click on the Create Graph button.

The multiple-line graph created from the above example will look like this:

Options
You have the option of showing the gridlines on your final graph. Sometimes it is easier to read a graph with gridlines; other times it is more difficult. Experiment with this option.

Unless you click on the manual button, the computer will generate the y-axis range. Experiment with this option as well. If you were creating a series of graphs and wanted to easily compare them, you might want to have the same y-axis range on all the graphs.

To empty your data from the table and create a new line graph, click Clear Data. To select a different type of graph or chart, click on the Previous Screen button.

Making a Bar Graph
The data table for a bar graph will have only two columns of datażone for the x-axis labels and one for the y-axis data. To make a bar graph for the previously mentioned example, start with a data table like this:

The data table for bar graphs works in the same way as the one for line graphs. The first column is for the x-axis. The title of the x-axis (Year) is in the cell above the column, and the x-axis labels are placed in the yellow cells of the first column. The second column is for the y-axis. The title of the y-axis (Population) is in the cell above the second column, and the population figures go in the blue cells of the second column. Data entered into the gray cells will not be graphed.

Once you have filled in all the data (graph title, x-axis label, y-axis label, gridlines options, y-axis range, numerical data cell titles, and numerical data) click on the Create Graph button.

The bar graph created should look like the example above.

Options
You have the option of showing the gridlines on your final graph. Sometimes it is easier to read a graph with gridlines; other times it is more difficult. Experiment with this option.

Unless you click on the manual button, the computer will generate the y-axis range. Experiment with this option as well. If you were creating a series of graphs and wanted to easily compare them, you might want to have the same y-axis range on all the graphs.

To empty your data from the table and create a new line graph, click Clear Data. To select a different type of graph or chart, click on the Previous Screen button.

Making a Grouped-Bar Graph
The data table for a grouped-bar graph will have up to six columnsżone for the x-axis labels and up to five for the y-axis data. To make a grouped-bar graph for the previously mentioned example, start with a data table like this:

The different technologies are in the first column. The labels for the country names are listed in the yellow cells above each of the other columns. These will become the legend labels. The data goes in the blue cells where the countries and technologies intersect. For example, there are 550 telephones per 1,000 people in France. You will see that the number 550 goes in the cell where the row labeled Telephone intersects with the column labeled France. Data entered into the gray cells will not be graphed.

Once you have filled in all the data (graph title, x-axis label, y-axis label, gridlines options, y-axis range, numerical data cell titles, and numerical data) click on the Create Graph button.

A grouped-bar graph made from the above example will look like this:

Options
You have the option of showing the gridlines on your final graph. Sometimes it is easier to read a graph with gridlines; other times it is more difficult. Experiment with this option.

Unless you click on the manual button, the computer will generate the y-axis range. Experiment with this option as well. If you were creating a series of graphs and wanted to easily compare them, you might want to have the same y-axis range on all the graphs.

To empty your data from the table and create a new line graph, click Clear Data. To select a different type of graph or chart, click on the Previous Screen button.

Making a Pie Chart
The data table for a pie chart will have only two columns of datażone for the labels for each part and one for the data. To make a pie chart for the previously mentioned example, you would start with a data table like this:

The first (yellow) column in the table is for the names of the candidates. These names will become the legend labels. The second (blue) column is for the data. Enter the numbers in the second column and the percentages will be calculated for you. Data entered into the gray cells in the table will not be graphed.

Once you have filled in all the data (graph title, x-axis label, y-axis label, gridlines options, y-axis range, numerical data cell titles, and numerical data) click on the Create Graph button.

A pie chart created from the above data table will look like the inset image above.

Options
You have the option of showing the gridlines on your final graph. Sometimes it is easier to read a graph with gridlines; other times it is more difficult. Experiment with this option.

Unless you click on the manual button, the computer will generate the y-axis range. Experiment with this option as well. If you were creating a series of graphs and wanted to easily compare them, you might want to have the same y-axis range on all the graphs.

To empty your data from the table and create a new line graph, click Clear Data. To select a different type of graph or chart, click on the Previous Screen button.

Saving Graphs

Saving With a MAC
1. Once you have created your graph, press the keystroke apple key + shift + 4. This will bring up the selection tool, which you can use to select the area you would like to include in your screen shot.

2. The picture will be saved at the root level of your hard drive, with the name Picture1.

Saving With a PC

1. Once you have created your graph, press the "Print Screen" button on your keyboard. This will take a screen shot of your entire screen view and copy it to the Windows clipboard.

2. Paste the image into an image editing program such as Windows Paint by selecting "paste" from the Edit menu, or by using the keystroke command-V. Other editing programs you may want to use: MS Word, and Adobe Photoshop.

3. Once the image has been pasted into the application, you may choose to use the application's cropping tool (if available) in order to crop the image so that only the graph is visible.

4. Save the document.

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