GWSS 105 - Introduction to Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies

Library Research Guide

What are scholarly sources?

Scholarly sources are:

written by and for researchers and scholars.
explorations of research and ideas to increase knowledge and understanding.
conversations between scholars on research, methods, and theories.
reviewed by scholars prior to publication.

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
Shows common features of a scholarly article in the social sciences and sciences.

Where can I find scholarly sources?

Scholarly sources can be found by using the Libraries' Search It tool or going directly to the databases.

Books can be found by using our Search It tool and in our databases of books. Many are written by university professors and published by university presses.

K-State Databases
Databases are a place to find journal, magazine and newspaper articles and sometimes other items like electronic books, dissertation chapters, and more. Databases are accessible from off campus to all current students, faculty, and staff with an eID and password.
Search It

Use Search It

Search It is a tool that you can use to search across the library collection. This video (2:20) gives a brief introduction to using Search It.

Video transcript (PDF)
Link to K-State Libraries

Primary Sources in the Databases

Generally speaking, a "primary source" is any publication or piece of information that is both original and contemporary with the time period being studied. Examples include diaries, letters, historical newspapers, news-reels, and more.

We have a large number of databases that have primary source content. For each of the databases with this type of content, we have added the "Primary Sources" tag to their information. However we have also produced a list for you with the particular databases that we think will be the most useful to your quest for primary source material.

Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000: Basic Edition
Examines perspectives on women’s social movements from colonial times to the present by bringing together books, images, documents, scholarly essays, commentaries, and bibliographies, documenting the multiplicity of women’s activism in public life.

North American Women’s Letters and Diaries
Letters and diaries detailing the personal lives and experiences hundreds of women spanning over 300 years. Includes over 1,500 biographies. Ideal for research in women’s studies, history, sociology, literature, genealogy, as well as other disciplines.
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Letters and diaries detailing the personal lives and experiences hundreds of women spanning over 300 years. Includes over 1,500 biographies. Ideal for research in women’s studies, history, sociology, literature, genealogy, as well as other disciplines.

American History in Video
American History in Video provides the largest and richest collection of video available online for the study of American history, with 2,000 hours and more than 5,000 titles on completion. The collection allows students and researchers to analyze historical events, and their presentation over time, through commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries.

Historical New York Times, 1851-Present
Digitized version of the New York Times since its first issue in 1851. Patrons can search the full text of articles to find articles on a wide variety of topics.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories
Primary source documents from immigrants who have come from virtually all over the world. Personal narratives, including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories from 1840 to the present.
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Personal narratives, including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories from 1840 to the present. Includes some audio files and facsimiles of personal scrapbooks. Primary source documents from immigrants who have come from virtually all over the world.
North American Indian Thought and Culture
Historical resources on nearly 500 North American groups. Autobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files. Includes 2,000 oral histories in audio and transcript form, and more than 20,000 photos.
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Historical resources on nearly 500 North American groups. Autobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files. Also includes 2,000 oral histories presented in audio and transcript form and at least 20,000 photographs.
African American Newspapers, 1827-1998
Covers African-American experiences before the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement, and up to the end of the 20th century. Includes more than 270 newspapers (published by or for African Americans) from 35 states, and provides access to both full-text and images.
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Includes the full text and images of over 270 newspapers published by and for African Americans. The collection provides information on the African-American experience before the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement and the end of the twentieth century. Newspapers from 35 states and all regions of the United States are included.

What are scholarly sources?

Scholarly sources are:

written by and for researchers and scholars.
explorations of research and ideas to increase knowledge and understanding.
conversations between scholars on research, methods, and theories.
reviewed by scholars prior to publication.

Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
Shows common features of a scholarly article in the social sciences and sciences.

Where can I find scholarly sources?

Scholarly sources can be found by using the Libraries' Search It tool or going directly to the databases.

Books can be found by using our Search It tool and in our databases of books. Many are written by university professors and published by university presses.

K-State Databases
Databases are a place to find journal, magazine and newspaper articles and sometimes other items like electronic books, dissertation chapters, and more. Databases are accessible from off campus to all current students, faculty, and staff with an eID and password.
Search It

GWSS 105 - Introduction to Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies

Library Research Guide

What are scholarly sources?

Where can I find scholarly sources?

Popular and Scholarly Articles

Use Search It

Primary Sources in the Databases

What are scholarly sources?

Where can I find scholarly sources?