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World Civilizations (Luffman/Tan): Secondary Sources (Books & Periodicals)

Secondary sources are the large middle ground between reference and primary sources. Secondary sources go into greater detail than a reference source; they are proving a thesis or supporting a particular point of view; and they are written later by someone who was not personally involved in the events they are describing. Most narrative history books, most periodical articles, and even most student papers are secondary sources.

Finding Books in the Library

Here are a few ways you can identify useful books in the Library Catalog:

  • Keep a list of all the keywords you use to search the catalog, and remember that you will learn more keywords as you dig into your research.

  • If you're having trouble finding anything on your topic, broaden your search and look for books that would tell you more about the context of your topic.

  • Remember that biographies can be a great source of information.

  • When you find an item that looks useful in the library catalog, see if the subject headings lead you to any other good books on your topic.

  • When you locate a book on the library shelf, take a minute to browse the books nearby. You may find another on the same topic that is even better.

  • Don't forget to check the bibliography of a book you check out (or an article you read). Sometimes you can find additional sources by tracing the author's research.

Periodical articles are short, signed works that have been published in a publication that appears periodically, such as a newspaper, a magazine or a scholarly journal.

Secondary Sources: Periodical Databases

These databases contain periodicals that cover topics from ancient and medieval history (database password list HERE):

Secondary Sources: National Geographic

There are two ways to search National Geographic:

  • This index contains citations for every article published in any NG magazine or other NG publication, from its very first issue up through September 2015.
  • Once you know the article you want, ask a librarian for help. We can access your article from the NG archives as long as we have the citation details.
  • This database includes the full text of all NG articles from June 1, 1999 to the current issue. National Geographic articles in this database do not include any images.
  • If you want a PDF of the article with images, ask a librarian for help. We can access your article from the NG archives as long as we have the citation details.

Secondary Source Websites

The following websites provide secondary sources that cover topics from ancient and medieval history:

Ancient History - BBC
From our friends at the BBC, this is a useful resource on the topics listed there, which include Egypt, Greece, Mesopotamia, and Rome.

Ancient History Encyclopedia
This free online encyclopedia is an extensive resource for information about the classical world. Despite naming itself an "encyclopedia," it should be treated as a secondary source.

Encyclopedia Romana
Another "encyclopedia" that is really a secondary source, this site contains a large number of articles written by James Grout on ancient Rome. 

MesoWeb
This is a significant resource for Mesoamerican topics, with links to scholarly blogs, articles and museum websites.

The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures - University of Chicago
Big-league research in the Middle East. Awesome galleries and publications available here!