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U.S. History

Secondary Sources

Often referred to as scholarly sources, these books and articles are written by scholars for scholars and in the case of books, for a wider, often academic, audience. They are generally journal articles that are more complex and require closer reading than an encyclopedia or other reference source. You will want to incorporate the views of these experts in your written work to support your claims. Journals may be published online only or they may be available in print and online. Here at Kent, you will find our scholarly journals online. 

Secondary Sources

Academic OneFile
Peer-reviewed and scholarly content with millions of full-text articles

Advanced Placement Source
Journal articles in all subjects including the arts, multicultural studies, and STEM

JSTOR
Over 2,000 scholarly journals with peer-reviewed articles

History Reference Center
Historical documents, photos, maps, and videos.

U.S. History Collection
Scholarly journals and magazines that cover events in U.S. history.

U.S. History In Context
An overview of the Primary and secondary sources on the U.S.’s most-studied events and decades

Subject Specific Databases

Military and Intelligence Database
Scholarly journals, magazines, and reports covering past and current state of military affairs

Religion and Philosophy Collection
Scholarly journals and magazines of interest across a wide range of philosophies and religions.

Criminal Justice Collection
Academic journals and magazines on law, law enforcement, security, and terrorism.

Issues and Controversies in History
Think deeper about both sides of historical events

Peer Review

Scholarly information is based in scholarship and research, and is produced by the scholars or experts in a particular field. Much scholarly material that is published in books and academic journals goes through the peer-review process in which a manuscript is reviewed by independent researchers (referees or peer-reviewers) to evaluate the contribution for authority and accuracy. How do articles get peer reviewed? What role does peer review play in scholarly research and publication? This video will explain.