Secondary Source Analysis

Secondary Source Review Prompt

For this assignment, you will research and analyze an academic historical journal article and write a 1-2 page review.

The article that you choose will have to be related to the primary source that you are using for your term paper. For instance, if your primary source deals with western expansion, then the journal article will have to address that topic. Try to be as specific as possible, so if your western expansion paper focuses on US government/Indian relations (war, peace, treaties, etc), then the article should focus on one or more of those issues, depending on how you are framing your argument.

Once you have researched, read, and studied the article, synthesize the information into one page (two maximum). Your synthesis should include the title of the paper, the author’s name, the topic being discussed, the author’s argument, and a synopsis of the article’s contents.

Use the Dallas College library link (posted in Writing Materials folder) to search for the article:

· Go to the Articles, Journals (Databases) link.

· Navigate to the right side of the page and click the JSTOR Collection link.

When you click on the J-Stor link, the system will redirect you to their website. You will be prompted to log in through the Dallas College sign-in page. Use your school username and password to enter.

Once you are in J-Stor, type in key words that connect to your topic. Make sure that you’re looking at historical journals and historian authors. This is a history class, so DO NOT use articles from the fields of economics, law, medicine, art, etc. I will not approve any article that is not historical.

Finally, do not use biographical sketches or “book reviews.” A good article will be between 20-30 pages long. I will expect that. Make sure you properly cite it and provide an accessible link.

Here’s a select list of history journals:

· American Nineteenth Century History

· American Quarterly

· The Journal of American History

· Journal of American Studies

· Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

· Pacific Historical Review

Happy researching.