University Library > Finding Secondary Source Materials for History

Finding Secondary Source Materials for History

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When doing historical research, it is important to distinguish between primary and secondary sources:

Primary sources are written by people who have direct knowledge of the events or issues under discussion: they were participants in or observers of those events. . . . Authors of secondary sources have indirect knowledge, only. They rely on primary or other secondary sources for their information.
(Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook. 3rd ed. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 1997. 574.)

For information about finding primary source materials, see the Finding Primary Source Materials for History user guide.

General Research Guides

General research guides contain lists of materials that relate to a variety of subjects, or sometimes to a more narrowly defined subject area such as history. These guides help the user identify resources, such as books and articles, on a particular subject. Similar to a subject bibliography, the guides typically include citation information for each resource listed, and short annotations are sometimes included. Below are some examples.

  • Guide to Reference Books. Edited by Robert Balay. 11th ed. Chicago: American Library Association, 1996.
    Ref Z1035.1 .G89 1996
    Includes a very large section on "History and Area Studies," with a 20-page subsection on American history (pp. 1206-1226). Extremely useful for its annotated entries on bibliographies, encyclopedias, and other reference works. Entries assess the works' quality and degree of bibliographic annotation.*
  • Handbook for Research in American History: A Guide to Bibliographies and Other Reference Works. 2nd ed. rev. Compiled by Francis Paul Prucha. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1994.
    Ref Z1236 .P78 1994
    Excellent introduction to its topic. Organization and analysis reflect a seasoned, balanced, well-informed historical perspective. Very brief, incisive descriptions.*
  • Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide. 2nd ed. Ronald H. Fritze, Brian E. Coutts, Louis A. Vyhnanek. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2004.
    Ref D20 F72 2004
    An excellent introductory guide to history reference sources. Well-organized, accessible overview of more than 900 sources, each critically assessed in one-paragraph summaries. Includes an excellent guide to the most important historical journals.*
  • United States History: A Multicultural, Interdisciplinary Guide to Information Sources. 2nd ed. Anna H. Perrault and Ron Blazek. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2003.
    Ref E178 .B57 2003
    Accompanied by sometimes lengthy annotations, this guide contains over 1,000 entries for sources on United States history, divided into two main parts: general sources and topics and issues. Entries include some web sites; according to the book's Preface, all sites were current as of November 7, 2002.

To find out whether the Library owns a book found in a research guide, search the Library's online catalog. Books not available at the Library might be obtained through either Universal Borrowing, if available at another UW System library, or interlibrary loan. To find out whether the Library has access to a particular periodical--either in print, microform, or online--or to find out in what format(s) a periodical is available, search Citation Linker. Articles in periodicals not owned by the Library may be obtained through interlibrary loan. Ask a reference librarian for assistance if needed.

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Subject Bibliographies

Subject bibliographies are similar to general research guides, but are specific to one subject area. They contain lists of important resources, such as books and articles, on that subject area. Within the bibliography, resources are usually divided into categories to aid the user. For example, Chapter 38 of the Harvard Guide to American History is titled United States, 1789-1860. Within that chapter, there are three sections: Political History, Economic History, and Social and Cultural History. Like the research guides, a subject bibliography typically includes citation information for each resource listed, and short annotations are sometimes included. Two excellent history bibliographies are listed below.

  • The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature. 3rd ed. Edited by Mary Beth Norton. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
    Ref Z6201 .A55 1995  2 vols. (temporarily shelved at Reference Desk)
    Definitive guide to the best literature in all areas of history. Brief descriptions of the scope and value of tens of thousands of books and essays. The section on American history covers nearly four hundred pages, with approximately 20 annotated citations per page.*
  • Harvard Guide to American History. Rev. ed. Edited by Frank Burt Freidel. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1974.
    Ref Z1236 .F77 1974  2 vols.
    Dated but invaluable for its far-ranging, pre-1974 bibliographies on hundreds of subjects. Helpful for establishing the value of older material not covered in the AHA's Guide and in identifying sources published prior to America: History and Life [see Online Periodical Indexes and Databases below for more information].*

To find out whether the Library owns a book found in a subject bibliography, search the Library's online catalog. Books not available at the Library might be obtained through either Universal Borrowing, if available at another UW System library, or interlibrary loan. To find out whether the Library has access to a particular periodical--either in print, microform, or online--or to find out in what format(s) a periodical is available, search Citation Linker. Articles in periodicals not owned by the Library may be obtained through interlibrary loan. Ask a reference librarian for assistance if needed.

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Subject Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Subject encyclopedias and dictionaries differ from the general knowledge encyclopedias and dictionaries most students are familiar with, such as Encyclopedia Britannica and Webster's College Dictionary. They are devoted to one subject area, such as history, and often that subject is narrowed even further to a particular event (the American Revolution), era (the Renaissance), country (Russia), or topic (social history).

Subject Encyclopedias

Subject encyclopedias are good places to start for an introduction to or broad overview of a topic. Articles are written by subject experts and generally are more in-depth than one might find on the same topic in a general knowledge encyclopedia. Length of articles can vary from just a few paragraphs to 20 pages or more. Bibliographies of sources are usually provided at the end of the article. Most encyclopedias arrange entries in alphabetical order, although sometimes entries are grouped or arranged by topic. An index is almost always provided, either in the back of the volume or in a separate volume(s). These encyclopedias can range from one volume to 60 or more, and sometimes take decades to complete. (The first volume of The Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet History was published in 1976 and the last volume, number 60, was published in 2000.)

Below is a small selection of the many subject encyclopedias available in the Library in the area of history:

  • Encyclopedia of American Cultural & Intellectual History
    Ref E169.1 .E624 2001  3 vols.
  • Encyclopedia of American Social Movements
    Ref HN57 .E594 2004 4 vols.
  • Encyclopedia of Contemporary Chinese Culture
    Ref DS779.23 .E53 2005
  • Encyclopedia of Eastern Europe: from the Congress of Vienna to the Fall of Communism
    Ref DJK6 .E53 2000
  • Encyclopedia of European Social History: from 1350 to 2000
    Ref HN373 .E63 2001  6 vols.
  • Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East & North Africa, 2nd ed.
    Ref DS43 .E53 2004  4 vols.
  • Encyclopedia of the New American Nation: the Emergence of the United States, 1754-1829
    Ref E301 .E53 2006 3 vols.
  • The Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet History
    Ref DK36 .M55   60 vols. + 7 suppl. vols.
  • Southeast Asia: a historical encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor
    Ref DS524 .S68 2004  3 vols.

Subject Dictionaries

Subject dictionaries are similar to subject encyclopedias in that they, too, are devoted to one subject area that is often narrowed to a particular event, topic, etc., most often written or contributed by subject experts. The articles tend to be much shorter than in subject encyclopedias; however, it is not uncommon to find entries that run for several pages. Therefore, subject dictionaries are most useful for a brief overview of a particular person, topic, or event, but because some dictionary entries are quite lengthy, do not rule out a subject dictionary as a source of more in-depth information. Bibliographies for entries may be included, but tend to be shorter than those provided in subject encyclopedias; sometimes an overall bibliography is provided at the back of the volume. Entries are usually in alphabetical order, and an index may be provided. Although typically just one volume, some dictionaries are multiple volumes.

Below is a small selection of the subject dictionaries available in the Library in the area of history:

  • Dictionary of American History
    Ref E174 .D52 2003 10 vols.
  • Dictionary of American Immigration History
    Ref JV6450 .D53 1990
  • Historical Dictionary of Afghanistan, 3rd ed.
    Ref DS356 .A27 2003
  • Historical Dictionary of Ancient Greek Warfare
    Ref U33 .S64 2002
  • Historical Dictionary of the Kurds
    Ref DS59 .K86 G86 2004
  • Historical Dictionary of Women in Sub-Saharan Africa
    Ref HQ1787 .S44 2005
  • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
    Ref DA28 .O95 2004  60 vols. and Index

These and other subject encyclopedias and dictionaries can be found by searching the Library's online catalog. If you do not have a specific title to search for, try a Keyword search in the catalog.

To conduct a Keyword search in the online catalog, choose Keyword(s) in the Search By box on the Basic Search screen. In the Search For box, type one or more search terms that define your topic. Combining multiple terms with the and operator will yield records that contain all of those terms, while truncating words with a ? allows you to find all words that begin with the root word. To find many different historical encyclopedias and dictionaries, try a broad search such as:

history and encyclopedia?   or   history and dictionar?

However, when looking for information on a specific topic, it will be more useful to search for an encyclopedia or dictionary on that topic via a narrower search such as:

women and encyclopedia?   or   "civil war" and dictionar?

For more information on searching in the Library catalog, see the Library user guides: How to Use the Library Catalog: Basic Search and How to Use the Library Catalog: Additional Features.

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History Journals

Journal articles are an excellent source of secondary information. These articles are written using primary sources or other secondary sources for their information. A list of references at the end of a useful article is a quick way to find further articles on a topic. In addition to articles, many history journals provide reviews of book titles on different topics. Citations for articles in history journals may be found using various online indexes and databases available at the Library (see Online Periodical Indexes and Databases below for some examples); older articles may require the use of a print index (for a listing of some of the print indexes available at the Library, see the Finding Primary Source Materials for History user guide). Below are some examples of history journals available in print, microform, and/or online at the University Library.

  • American Historical Review
    Published by the American Historical Association, this journal is comprised of articles, symposium and book reviews on any and all historical topics, time periods, or regions. Articles are of exceptionally high quality, many by senior historians.**
  • Civil War History
    The best journal on the Civil War era, although regarded as less prestigious than the William & Mary Quarterly as the journal for its particular time period.*
  • Hispanic American Historical Review
    HAHR publishes articles and book reviews on all time periods and regions related to Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.**
  • Journal of African History
    Publishes widely on topics in African history from the Stone Age through the 1970s.**
  • Journal of American History
    The premier journal of historians specializing in American history. It reviews roughly 100 American history books per issue. The JAH also includes the most thorough bibliography on American history topics.*
  • Journal of Social History
    This is the leading journal in the field of social history. It includes articles and book reviews with a heavy concentration on Western European history, although it also covers Latin America, Africa, Russia, and the United States.**
  • Journal of Women's History
    The leading journal in the field of women and gender history, its articles and book reviews concentrate on women in the United States, although there is coverage of women and gender in all regions and time periods.**
  • Past & Present
    This journal primarily concentrates on social and cultural history; articles are published on all regions and time periods.**
  • Reviews in American History
    Comprised of extended book reviews, many of the reviews cover two to four books on a related subject and address significant historiographical developments in the field.**
  • William & Mary Quarterly
    Published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, this is the leading journal on early American history. Articles and book reviews address this field broadly, including coverage of Old World-New World contacts, Africa, the Caribbean, Spanish-American borderlands, Europe, and the United States into the early 19th century.**

To find out whether the Library has access to a particular periodical--either in print, microform, or online--or to find out in what format(s) a periodical is available, search Citation Linker. Articles in periodicals not owned by the Library may be obtained through interlibrary loan.

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Online Periodical Indexes and Databases

To find articles within journals and magazines, it is necessary to use a periodical index (either print or online) or an online periodical database. Periodical indexes provide citations to the articles in various publications; a short abstract of an article is sometimes provided. Periodical databases contain the full-text of at least some of the articles found in the database. The University Library has many online indexes and databases; the following are particularly useful for finding secondary source materials in history. For a complete listing of all Library online indexes and databases, see the Articles in Journals, Magazines and Newspapers web page, or click on the Find Articles, Statistics... heading on the library's home page.

Periodical Indexes

Online periodical indexes provide citations for articles, book chapters, book reviews, etc. Abstracts are sometimes provided with these citations; however, full text of the items is not provided. To find the full text of an article, etc. in the indexes below, click the Find It button provided with the item's citation and use the links in the Find It menu to determine whether the item is available either online or in the Library. Articles in periodicals not owned by the Library may be obtained through interlibrary loan. Books not owned by the Library may be obtained through either Universal Borrowing, if available at another UW System library, or through interlibrary loan.

  • America: History and Life (ABC-CLIO) - Off-Campus access requires UW-W login.
    One of the premier American history databases, AHL covers United States and Canadian history from prehistory to the present. Includes coverage of periodicals dating from 1954 to the present. Links provided with some citations to the full text in other databases.
  • International Medieval Bibliography (IMB) (Brepols) - Off-Campus access requires UW-W login.
    A renowned database in its field, the IMB contains citations for articles in both periodicals and miscellany volumes (conference proceedings, collected essays, etc.) published worldwide. All subjects related to the Middle Ages, within the date range 300-1500 AD, are included. Geographical areas covered are Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.

To find citations for articles in older issues of periodicals, it is often necessary to use a print index. For a listing of some of the print indexes available in the Library, see the Finding Primary Source Materials for History user guide.

Periodical Databases

With the exception of Humanities Full Text, the databases below provide full text of all articles.

  • History Cooperative - Off-Campus access requires UW-W login.
    History Cooperative provides the full text of articles in 22 history journals. Some journals included provide only the last year or two of issues. To view the list of available journals, open the database; the journal titles are listed on the opening screen. The full text of articles in one journal, Western Historical Quarterly, cannot be accessed without a subscription, although the Contents page of issues and some article abstracts can be viewed.
  • Humanities Full Text (WilsonWeb) - Off-Campus access requires UW-W login.
    This database covers many humanities fields in addition to history. Full-text coverage begins in January 1995. Article citations are provided back to 1984.
  • JSTOR Arts & Sciences I, II, & III Collection - Off-Campus access requires UW-W login.
    JSTOR is an electronic journal archival project which provides full-text access to complete runs of back issues of scholarly journal titles in more than 30 fields, including history. To view the list of history journal titles and their years of coverage, open the database, click Browse on the opening screen, and then click History. For journals still being published, the time period between the last issue found in JSTOR and the most recently published issue of the journal is typically 3-5 years. The more recent issues of some journals are found in the Project Muse database.
  • Project Muse - Off-Campus access requires UW-W login.
    Project Muse provides access to the full text of over 300 scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics. Coverage of most journals does not begin until the mid-1990s or later, although the earlier issues of some journals are found in JSTOR. Open the database to view the list of all Project Muse journal titles and dates of coverage.
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Turabian Style Guide

The Library provides an online user guide on the Turabian citation style used by most history classes at UW-Whitewater. The examples in this guide were taken from Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations 6th ed. (Ref LB2369 .T8 1996), kept at the Reference Desk in the Library.

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Source annotations denoted with an asterisk (*) were provided by Dr. Steve Vincent, Lecturer, Department of History, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Source annotations denoted with two asterisks (**) were provided by Dr. Nikki Mandell, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.