Questions to Consider:
Where was the article published? Does it come from a scholarly journal?
What is the author's main argument? See the accompanying abstract or skim the first page or two of the article.
What disciplinary approach/es does the author take? For example, is the article written from the point of view of history or literary criticism? Are there interpretations from additional academic fields, like anthropology or art history, introduced within an article that explores an historical question?
What are the author's qualifications? Look at the brief biographical sketch accompanying the article or check the web. What other articles and books has the author published?
When was the article published? Are there more recent articles that may incorporate newer evidence and interpretations?
Journal articles and other periodical publications provide scholarly information on specific aspects of historical topics.
1) Because scholarly articles are peer reviewed and improved before publication, they are more authoritative than magazine articles or much of the material on the open Web.
2) Since articles are published on a shorter schedule than books, they can be more-up-to-date.
3) Because journal articles tend to run between 20 and 40 pages, authors' make their arguments clearly and concisely.
The indexes below are the best ways for you to identify journal articles. Use the button in individual article records to access the full text if a link is not already provided.
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