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Lansing Community College Library

History: Secondary Sources

What are Secondary Sources?

secondary source is a second-hand account or interpretation, opinion, or analysis of an event. Good secondary sources are based on the interpretation of a wide variety of primary sources. Sometimes a source may contain both secondary and primary resource materials. Books, encyclopedias, scholarly and popular articles, textbooks, and statistics are examples of secondary sources.

A scholarly source is an article that is written by experts, for other experts in that discipline. Generally, scholarly sources are published in academic journals and books published by a university press. 

Where to Find Secondary Sources: Databases and OneSearch

Search several LCC databases and the LCC catalog with one box

 

Databases

Search E-Books for Scholarly Sources

E-Books can be a good source for finding scholarly and historical information. A scholarly e-Book will generally be published by a university press, written by an expert for other experts.

History Reference Books