This guide will help you find published scholarship (essays, books, chapters, journal articles, etc.) and primary sources on a topic.
Remember to evaluate the accuracy of your sources, and think critically about their content and arguments.
For remote login to the Library's electronic resources, see our instructions for Off-Campus Access.
Remember to consult with your instructor in the History Department about your project!
Subject encyclopedias and other reference guides can provide good background information on a topic. Many reference books are in printed format, while others are available in electronic resource collections such as:
African American Religious Cultures by 
American Decades, 1960-1969 by 
Civil Rights Movement by 
Encyclopaedia of Civil Rights in America by 
Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History by 
Encyclopedia of African American Education ( by 
Encyclopedia of African American Music (3 vols.) by 
Encyclopedia of African American Society by 
Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World by 
Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450
International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest: 1500 to the Present by 
Revolts, Protests, Demonstrations, and Rebellions in American History - An Encyclopedia by 
Definitive index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. Please sign to QC Library when prompted to browse articles within the Queens College Library collections.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Humanities Source is a valuable full-text database covering literary, scholarly, and creative thought.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Social Sciences Full Text (H.W.Wilson) covers the latest concepts, theories, and methods from both applied and theoretical aspects of the social sciences.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Provides full-text, Peer-Reviewed sociology journals covering many studies including gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, religion, and social work.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Indexes the international literature of sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences; (1952-current).
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
This bibliographic research database is essential to the study of cities and regions. It covers subjects of key relevance to the discipline including urban affairs, community development, and urban history.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
What is a scholarly journal article?
A scholarly journal article is written by a scholar or an expert, and provides a detailed analysis of a topic. It is written in the specialized language of a scholarly discipline (such as Philosophy). It documents the resources the writer used by providing bibliographic citations such as footnotes, endnotes, and bibliography so a reader can check or repeat the research the scholar has completed.
A scholarly journal is edited by scholars, and any article published in the journal has usually been approved by the author's peers or by referees (other scholars expert in the subject who serve as editors or readers and critique the article before it is accepted for publication). This is why most scholarly journals are referred to as a Peer-Reviewed or Refereed journals. Here is a comparison between popular and scholarly periodicals. There are usually several databases that can be used to search for journal articles on a topic.
American Decades Primary Sources 1930-1939 by 
American Decades Primary Sources 1960-1969 by 
Features select primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch
Black Thought and Culture is a landmark electronic collection of approximately 100,000 pages of non-fiction writings by major American black leaders—teachers, artists, politicians, religious leaders, athletes, war veterans, entertainers, and other figures—covering 250 years of history.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch
Ethnic NewsWatch is a current resource of full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers is the definitive newspaper digital archive offering full-text and full-image articles for significant newspapers dating back to the 19th Century (1851-2018).
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Gale Primary Sources: Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive is devoted to the study and understanding of the history of slavery in America and the rest of the world from the 17th century to the late 19th century. Archival collections were sourced from more than 60 libraries at institutions such as the Amistad Research Center, Bibliothèque nationale de France, the National Archives, Oberlin College, Oxford University, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and Yale University.
U.S. Newsstream enables users to search current U.S. news content (The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Newsday, and Chicago Tribune), as well as archives that stretch back into the 1980s.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 is a resource for students and scholars of U.S. history and U.S. women's history.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
