LibGuides: World History 1112: 1500 to the Present: Secondary Resources

Database Search Tips

Finding good information resources can be frustrating!

Make it a more satisfying experience by using these strategies:

Use specific search terms - A search for global warming will get thousands of results, but global warming and agricultural impact will result in fewer and more relevant results.
Try using the "Advanced Search" screen - You'll find it easier to add more terms to your search and specify where they should appear - for example, in an article title or subject heading.
Try an exact phrase - Searching for stem cell research will retrieve results with these three words, but to ensure that they appear as a phrase (together and in the same order), try putting them in quotation marks: "stem cell research".
Use "search options" or "limits" - limit your search to full text articles, academic/scholarly articles (what's this?) or to a specific date range. Limit features can often be found in a side menu or on the database's Advanced Search screen.

If you get stuck, contact your campus librarian!

Scholarly, Popular & Trade Journals

Your instructor may require articles from scholarly journals (also called academic or peer-reviewed journals) instead of popular magazines.

There's also something called a trade journal.

What's the difference? Here's a quick overview courtesy of Ithaca College Library.

What is a Secondary Source?

Secondary sources were created by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions you’re researching. For a historical research project, secondary sources are generally scholarly books and articles.

A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may contain pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources.

Some types of secondary source include: Textbooks; journal articles; histories; criticisms; commentaries; encyclopedias

Online Resources for Articles

When researching World History topics, try some of the following databases for the most valuable information. RESEARCH TIP: Check the FULL TEXT box to limit your results to articles with the complete text readily available.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OFF CAMPUS ACCESS TO GALILEO

Academic Search Complete
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This scholarly collection, considered a multidisciplinary database, offers full-text coverage of information in many areas of academic study.
Arts & Humanities Database
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Arts & Humanities Database includes both scholarly peer-reviewed journals and selected trade and consumer titles relevant to applied arts and cultural studies.
Bepress Digital Commons
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Bepress Digital Commons is a database of full-text, open access scholarship that is curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, representing thousands of disciplines and subject areas from architecture to zoology.
History Reference Source
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The database features reference books, encyclopedias, non-fiction books, and history periodicals as well as thousands of historical documents, biographies of historical figures, photos, maps, and over 80 hours of historical video.
Research Library
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Research Library provides one-stop access to a wide range of popular academic subjects and includes full-text access for thousands of titles, including scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers.

Journals & Publications

Early Medieval Europe
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Provides information and debate on the history of Europe from the later Roman Empire to the eleventh century. Topics include archaeology, palaeography, literature, diplomacy, art, history, linguistics, as well as more traditional historical approaches.
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Journal of African History
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The Journal of African History publishes articles and book reviews ranging widely over the African past, from ancient times to the present.
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Journal of Social History
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JSH publishes articles in social history from all areas and periods, and has played an important role in integrating work in Latin American, African, Asian and Russian history with sociohistorical analysis in Western Europe and the United States.
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Postmedieval
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Postmedieval: a Journal of Medieval Cultural Studies aims to develop a present-minded medieval studies in which contemporary events, issues, ideas, problems, objects, and texts serve as triggers for critical investigations of the Middle Ages.
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Renaissance Quarterly
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Publishes essays, reviews and lists of recently published books on all aspects of Renaissance studies for members of the Renaissance Society of America.
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Open Source Resources

These academic journals do not require the GALILEO password for access.

Bryan Mawr Classical Review
Bryn Mawr Classical Review publishes timely open-access, peer-reviewed reviews of current scholarly work in the field of classical studies (including archaeology).
The Medieval Review
Since 1993, The Medieval Review has been publishing reviews of current work in all areas of Medieval Studies, a field it interprets as broadly as possible.

Contact Us!

Lanier Technical College Libraries

Marci Manglitz
Director of Library Services
Hall Campus
770-533-6968
mmanglitz@laniertech.edu

Min Su
Librarian
Forsyth Campus
678-341-6636
msu@laniertech.edu

Tina Jordan
Librarian
Dawson Campus
678-513-5221
tjordan@laniertech.edu

Angela Moss-Hill
Librarian
Barrow & Jackson Campus
770-297-4525
amoss-hill@laniertech.edu