This journal is devoted to the study of history. All of the articles are written in the form of literature reviews. Specialists analyze the issues involved in a particular question and discuss individual books, journal articles, and other scholarship that are essential for research in that area. Browse or search the journal website for overviews related to your research topic. The bibliographies accompanying articles in History Compass will lead you to relevant sources for further reading.
If you don't find a relevant literature review in History Compass, check for titles in Oxford Bibliographies and Dissertations and Theses (see below). Most doctoral students will write a chapter of their dissertation in which they survey the available scholarship and primary sources on their topic.
History Compass 
Recent articles include:
The Oxford Bibliographies Online lay out the parameters of various issues within a particular field of study and evaluate the importance of individual books and journal articles in the form of an annotated bibliography. It gives you the benefit of expert advice when choosing what to read.
Doctoral students go through an exhaustive literature search when writing their dissertations. They also tend to work on new questions, sometimes ones that have received very little attention from scholars before. You can sometimes obtain these dissertations and benefit from all the bibliographic treasues and new ideas. Check Dissertations & Theses to identify dissertations on your topic.
