Secondary Sources

Getting Started: 

Find secondary sources to help you understand your topic

Before you can develop a historically-informed STEM lesson, you will first need some more general, background knowledge about the history of your topic––answers to the basic questions  “who, what, when, and where?” You will also want to begin to understand how historians have interpreted its meaning––the “why?” question. This means locating secondary sources. 

But how do you track down scholarly secondary sources? Start with reference works––these will provide background information and act as a "gateway" to other high-quality scholarly secondary sources. Next, explore your library's catalogue and scholarly databases to find scholarly books and journal articles about the history of science and math that can help you get a deeper understanding. Finally, judiciously use an internet search engine to find online collections, exhibits, and journalism that can also enrich your lesson. Explore the links below to learn more:

Not all secondary sources are created equal

You need scholarly secondary sources. Generally, a scholarly source is an article in a peer-reviewed journal or book published by an academic press, rather than in a popular magazine or trade publication.

For more:

Finding Secondary Sources

Reference Works: A Gateway for your Research

Reference works include encyclopedias and biographical dictionaries. They are a special kind of secondary source that consolidates and distills general information from many other secondary sources. These are the best place to start for general background information to jumpstart your research.

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Books: Explore the Deeper Context

History books provide deeper historical context and narrative. Your library catalogue can help you track down specific books that you are looking for––ones cited by other secondary sources you have found. But it can also help you find books you didn't even know you were looking for!

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Journal Articles: Delve into Scholarly Conversations

While books are the major scholarly works in the discipline of history, there may be times when you want to explore scholarly journal articles on the history of science and math.

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Locating High Quality Online Collections, Exhibits, and Journalism

Universities, museums, archives, libraries, journalists, and professional organizations have many websites and pages devoted to topics in the history of math and science.

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Your next step...

Begin to read the secondary sources you find more closely. For tips on reading historical secondary sources, see the guide How to Read a Secondary Source. Narrow down your research questions and identify gaps in your knowledge. To identify additional secondary sources, check the bibliographies of books and articles (just as you did for the “gateway" reference works).


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