Research Guides: MAN HISTORY 101: Foundations of Western Culture I: Finding Secondary Sources

Secondary Sources

A secondary source describes or analyzes a primary source. These sources are one step removed from the actual event and allow you to understand what scholars and other experts know about your topic.

Types of Secondary Sources:

Books or articles that explain or review research works
Histories and critical commentaries
Textbooks
Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference materials
Newspaper articles, magazine articles, and webpages authored by people who had nothing to do with the actual research
Journal article that summarizes the results of other researchers' experiments

Search@UW - Search Books, Articles and More

Search@UW

Recommended Databases

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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A wide range of subjects covered. Find academic journals, reviews, articles, and books & book chapters.
JSTOR is a digital library of academic content in many formats and disciplines, including scholarly and peer-reviewed articles as well as e-books. Coverage varies by title but ranges from the 1800s to the 2010s.
Academic Search Complete (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
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A wide range of subjects covered; multidisciplinary database with significant full text. Find scholarly, trade, and popular titles.
Includes more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. Coverage of information spanning a broad range of important areas of academic study including: anthropology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, geology, law, materials science, mathematics, music, pharmaceutical sciences, physics, psychology, religion & theology, veterinary science, women's studies, zoology, and many other fields.
Project Muse This link opens in a new window
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Subjects covered include humanities, arts, and social sciences. Find academic journal articles & books.
Coverage 1995 -
World History In Context
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Subjects covered include world history including biographies, cultural trends, political movements, wars & conflicts, and religions. Find academic, popular, trade, and primary sources.
Humanities International Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Subjects covered include humanities, area studies, classics, linguistics, literature, philosophy, religion, and performing arts. Find articles, academic and trade journals, books, and book chapters.
Arts & Humanities Citation Index This link opens in a new window
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Subjects covered include arts and humanities. Find articles, academic journals, book chapters, and trade publications.
Coverage: 1987 - present

Very Short Introductions
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Subjects covered include arts, humanities, reference material, healthcare, science, and social sciences. Find a broad overview of each topic covered in a short e-book format. Limit 5 simultaneous users.
History Reference (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Subjects covered include history and humanities. Find historical encyclopedias and non-fiction books.
Cover-to-cover full text for more than 650 historical encyclopedias and other non-fiction books, including award winning titles from many top publishers.

Ancient World Digital Library
The Ancient World Digital Library (AWDL) is an initiative of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) at New York University. AWDL will identify, collect, curate, and provide access to a broad range of scholarly materials relevant to the study of the ancient world.

PBS Video Collection
A wide range of subjects covered. Find documentaries, interviews, archival footage, and select feature films.
Docuseek
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Covers a wide range of subjects. Find streaming video that can be embedded into courses or viewed online.
Films on Demand Master Academic (Films Media Group) This link opens in a new window
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A wide range of subjects covered. Find streaming video, film, clips, educational films, and documentaries.
A Web-based digital video delivery service that allows users to view streaming videos anytime. Special features allow users the ability to organize and bookmark clips, create and share playlists, personalize folders, and manage their entire collection.*If you cannot access a specific film title through Films on Demand, please search for that title in Search@UW (www.uwgb.edu/library). If you continue to experience difficulty accessing the film, contact the Research Desk at refdesk@uwgb.edu *
Academic Video Online
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Subjects covered include anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history, music, and more. Find streaming video, documentaries, films, and film clips.

Note on Scholarly Sources

Never assume the sources you find in library resources are automatically "scholarly." Some databases will have a mix of different types of sources. While the contents may come from a scholarly or peer reviewed journal, you still need to evaluate to make sure it is indeed a scholarly source. Often times you will come across book reviews, letters to the editor, or editorials in these journals that do not qualify as "scholarly sources" because they are not research articles.

For more clarification on scholarly sources, navigate to the scholarly sources page of this guide. In your library resources module for this week, you will also find a tutorial video on scholarly sources. If you are still having trouble, click on the research help page to connect with a librarian.