Secondary sources comment on primary sources — that is, they are examining the historical evidence to make an argument about the past. These could be academic journal articles, books, or any other sort of work that was produced at a distance from the actual historical events.
Think about how each secondary source contributes to your own argument: does it provide background information, make a point about your topic, or offer an opposing perspective? Also consider what authority the author has on the subject, and what biases might be present.
You can search the Auburn University Libraries catalog through the interface below, or here on the library homepage.
In narrowing down results, you can filter by language, format, publication year, and other criteria.
Databases are collections of sources such as journal articles, book reviews, newspaper articles, and other content.
You can use databases to access secondary source materials. It can be useful to search more than one database -- while some content may overlap between them, they often carry articles from different journals.
In sifting through results, look for summary information such as abstracts and subject headings, and remember to filter by language and by date.
