Tutorial 1: Locate books using the Library Catalog
What
are secondary sources?
Dissertations
are book-length works written by doctoral candidates to fulfill the requirements
of the Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Dissertations are not published (although
many are revised for publication as books or articles later), but can be purchased
from UMI Dissertation Services (www.umi.com/hp/Support/DServices/).
Journal
articles are the main way that historians launch brand
new interpretations or research findings. Articles are accepted for publication
in scholarly journals only after they have been favorably reviewed by other
scholars. This is why scholarly or academic journals are also called "peer-reviewed
journals". 
Monographs
are books on fairly narrow or specialized history topics. They are usually the
result of extensive inquiry into original research materials and are the building
blocks that other historians use to write broader, more general histories.
General
histories are works of synthesis that bring together
current research for a given geographical region, time period, or subject. History
books that appeal to a mass audience, not just scholars, tend to be general
histories that have incorporated the research labors of many other historians.
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Conference
papers are read at professional conferences before
an audience of other scholars. They are the first form in which historians present
their research findings for critical review. They are often difficult to get
because many are never published.