Historians base their research on two types of sources--Primary and Secondary.
What is a Primary Source?
A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event.
Examples include:
Diaries, journals and letters Newspaper and magazine articles (published at the time) Songs, plays, novels, stories
Photographs, maps, postcards, posters, advertisements from time period Films, videos, TV programs of the time
Government records (ex. census, marriage, death, military) Laws, police and court reports, public opinion polls
Recorded or transcribed speeches, political debates, business records, organizational minutes
Paintings, sculpture, drawings, buildings Interviews with participants or witnesses; interviews with people who lived during a particular time
Why are primary sources important?
Primary sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research.
What is a Secondary Source?
A secondary source consists of an interpretation of an event that the creator/author was not present.
Examples:
Journal article from the Great Plains Quarterly
Textbook American Journeys
Presentation made by an Historian
Tour given by a museum
Book Review
The Documentary Four Little Girls
Peer-reviewed articles are articles that have been evaluated by the writer's professional colleagues or peers. The idea is that the reviewers will judge the writer on scholarly standards within the field by examining the research methodology, style, ethics, etc.
Most academic databases will allow you to find peer-reviewed articles by simply checking a box as you refine your search.
Need a reminder on the peer-review process? Check out this video.
The databases listed below are good places to start to find secondary source information on topics related to Texas History.
Coverage of humanities disciplines including history, language & literature, art & art history, education, philosophy, classical studies, and music. Also includes a digitized group of rare 19th and early 20th century American Art periodicals.
Consists of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present.
Contains full-text journals and books about Texas history, ethnic & cultural diversity, gender studies, literature, public health, business, home & garden, and sports & leisure, as well as biographies portraying famous historical and contemporary Texans.
A valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multidisciplinary database with full-text peer-reviewed journal articles, monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.
The New Handbook of Texas is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture. It comprises more than 25,000 articles on people, places, events, historical themes, institutions, and a host of other topic categories. The scope is broad and inclusive, designed to provide readers with concise, authoritative, and accessible articles that provide factual, nonpartisan accounts on virtually every aspect of Texas history and culture.
In addition to the site's current information pertaining to Texas, this archive contains all the Texas Almanacs from 1857 to 2005.
The Texas State Historical Association allows access to the first 100 volumes of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly online. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly the oldest continuously published (since 1897) scholarly journal in Texas. This journal is the major peer-reviewed journal about Texas history.
Access the first 100 volumes of the Southwestern Historical Quarterly, the oldest continuously published scholarly journal in Texas. Issues are available from July 1897-April 2004.