Research Guides: Library Sources for History Majors

Special Databases

• America: History and Life - Index to scholarly research from 1964 to the present on the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present appearing in 2,000 journals, book chapters, dissertations, and media. See also Historical Abstracts.
• Historical Abstracts - Complete reference guide to the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada, which are covered in America: History and Life). This database of over 2,000 journals is packed with annotated references to information on topics from the Renaissance to Tiananmen Square.
• JSTOR - Browseable and searchable fulltext archive containing all articles from 117 scholarly journals from their first volume to a point five years before the present. There are 39 journals in History.
• Project MUSE - 167 fulltext scholarly journals in the fields of literature and criticism, history, the visual and performing arts, cultural studies, education, political science, and gender studies. Some journals are backfile only, but most cover both current and archival issues.

Primary and Secondary Sources

A primary source is:

• An account by an eyewitness or the first recorder of an event, in written or other form, including microform and electronic reproduction. Examples are diaries, letters, minutes of meetings, news footage, newspaper articles.
• Data obtained through original research, statistical compilations or legal requirements. Examples are reports of scientific experiments, U.S. census records, public records.
• Creative works such as poetry, music, or art.
• Artifacts such as stone points, pottery, furniture, and buildings.

Secondary sources are works that interpret the primary data, such as a book about eating disorders, a journal article about the role of tobacco in the colonial economy, or a critical review of a play.

Examples of Primary Sources:

• Foreign Relations of the United States (Docs S1.1 yr. Vol. and online. See also Foreign Relations of the U.S. - Serial Set Correlation List for table of contents and list of microfiche supplements, and the University of Wisconsin Digital Collection of FRUS which covers from 1861-1960.)
• Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (Docs AE 2.114 and online)
• Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (Docs AE 2.109 and online)
• Speeches
• Diaries - Search the HSU Library Catalog using the keywords “personal narratives” diar?
• Any poem, play, or short story.
• Scientific research reports - Check indexes and abstracts for the field of interest to find reports of scientific research.
• Newspaper articles about an event - Search the Journal and Newspaper Finder for a particular newspaper.

See also Research Guides: Newspapers for much more information about finding and using newspaper sources, Curriculum Resources: History/Social Sciences for links to rich history websites, and Research Guides: Government for information on locating government publications including legal resources.