Scholarly articles are usually defined as peer reviewed, but some scholarly articles undergo a different yet still rigorous editorial review process. These may also be known as academic articles. In all cases, these articles are considered secondary sources.
The main database for scholarly articles in American history is:
Also could help, depending on your topic:
Many library databases will present you with this general structure for Advanced Searching. The idea is to use a box for each component idea in your research topic. If, for example, you wanted to find articles about nursing during the Civil War, you would use 2 boxes like this:
The * picks up variations in the word, nurse, nurses, nursing. Could be critical!
In addition to scholarly journal articles, you could get dissertations, reviews of books, even some more popular history magazines. And, there are even some sources back into the late 19th century!
We call the full PDF of an article or book chapter the "full text." Look for the Find it @ SCU Libraries button or link in most SCU Library databases to easily get connected with the full text of the item you're interested in. When in doubt, submit an Interlibrary Loan request for the item or chat with a librarian (24/7).