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University of Texas University of Texas Libraries

AMS 311S: Technology, Science, and Pop Culture / Schneider

Course guide for students in the AMS 311S: Technology, Science, and Pop Culture course

Find Secondary Sources

How to Find Secondary Sources @ UT

Screenshot showing a box around the main library search bar. A second box is drawn around the Articles & More link.

Start searching with the big search box on the library homepage.

  • It searches most but not all the library's resources and will show results across six different categories: Articles & More, Books & Media, Journals, Databases, Research Guides, and the Library Website.

A more targeted place to search is at the link for Articles & More beneath the search bar.

  • We also encourage you to explore the other databases and journals we offer since Articles & More doesn't show results from all sources

On the left toolbar in Articles & More, check these boxes for credible & relevant results: 

  • Peer-Reviewed Journals

If you want to narrow even more, try these options to filter:

  • Resource Type
  • Subject
  • Creation Date

Keep an eye on the number of your search results. Start browsing when you feel you have a manageable number of results to skim through. 

Not all of our books are available online as ebooks. Here is how to limit your search to only books available online.

Remember that your keyword strategy will need to be broader because books cover broader topics than do articles.

These screenshots (you can open them in a new tab to enlarge) lead you from www.lib.utexas.edu

Step 1:

Use the Books and Media link under the search bar on www.lib.utexas.edu

 

Step 2:

On the next screen, enter your search terms.

 

Step 3:

oN the left side, you can limit to items available online

 

Step 4:

Under each result, there is a link Available Online. Click that.

Step 5:

every publisher link is differently named once you are in the full record

Google Scholar

Google Scholar Search

Types of Secondary Sources

What exactly are secondary sources?

Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary source materials can be things like books, articles in encyclopedias or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original research.

Secondary sources can be: 

  • Scholarly sources are written by researchers or experts in a particular field. They use specialized vocabulary, have extensive citations, and are often peer-reviewed

OR 

  • Popular sources offer commentary on popular topics and current events. Examples include magazine articles, blogs or websites.  

Article Not Available Online?

If we don't have a book or article you need, we can still get it for you through Interlibrary Services.  

To request a scan of a scholarly article, newspaper article or book chapter, use our Get scan service to have a PDF scan emailed to you within 1-3 business days.

How much is it?  Its free!

How many times can you do this?  There is no limit to the number of individual requests you can make. However, you can only request up to 3 chapters from one book. 

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.