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Frederick E. Berry Library and Learning Commons

Historiography: Sources for Research at Salem State

This is a guide for students in HST 200: Historiography with Dr. Andrew Darien in Fall 2023

Scholarly Articles and Book Chapters

History Databases of Journal Articles and Book Chapters

The databases listed below have particularly strong collections of scholarly history journal articles.

Google Scholar

Search Google Scholar for scholarly articles on the web.  Be aware that not all that you'll find here are freely available, but you can set your computer to identify those articles that are available through the Berry Library at Salem State.  To do this, either bookmark this exact link: 

or go to scholar.google.com and do the following:

  • Go to the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner of Google Scholar 
  • Scroll down to Settings
  • Select Library Links from the left column
  • Type in Salem State University
  • Select SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY - Proquest Full-text and Salem State University Library - Full text @ Salem State
  • Click Save

Now when you search Google Scholar, a link will appear to the right of articles that are available full text to you through Salem State databases.  Follow the link to the article.

VIDEO: How to search the databases America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts

This 5-minute video tutorial was created and recorded by librarian Carol Zoppel and demonstrates how to find and search the scholarly article database called America: History and Life (which only covers topics related to American History) and the database Historical Abstracts (everything else).

How should I read a scholarly article?

Scholarly sources often have a particular writing style and can be challenging to read compared to other types of sources. 

When reading scholarly literature, read strategically. Don't start by reading the article from start to finish but rather read the abstract (summary) and focus on the sections that will give you the information you need first. This will quickly let you know what the article is about and its relevancy for your research. 

Click on the image below to go to an infographic from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for more helpful advice about reading a scholarly article. 

How to read a scholarly article infographic