For topics that are of wide interest, you may be able to find an essay that reviews the literature on that topic, and that sets it in context by discussing how other historians have approached that topic. This kind of essay is invaluable when you are starting a research project. There are two easy ways to find them:
History Compass is an online journal that publishes historiographic essays. If there is an essay on your topic, it can be an excellent place to start. Caution: if you do not find what you need with your first search, you will need to scroll to the bottom of the search results page and click on Modify Search to start a new search within History Compass. Otherwise, you will need to specify that you want to search only this journal and not the entire list of Blackwell online journals
If your topic is covered, check Oxford Bibliographies Online
America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts
In both of these bibliographic databases, "historiography" is a Subject. For example, in AHL, to find historiography on the American Civil war, do a Subject search for:
civil war historiography
Annual bulletin of historical literature
History Reference (SH). Firestone Z6205 .H65 and online
The "Blackwell Companions" are a series published both in print and online that contain useful historiographical chapters.
Note: to find copies of the Blackwell Companions, do a keyword search in the Main Catalog for "Blackwell companions to history," "Blackwell companions to American history," "Blackwell companions to British history," "Blackwell companions to world history," or "Blackwell companions to European history" to see if there is a volume in this series that covers your topic. Some copies circulate, and others are in the History Reference on A floor, and some are online.