"Review articles" are a special type of article designed to provide a survey of knowledge in a particular area of research. Many databases make it easy to identify these articles. In Web of Science, once you have your search results displayed, use the "Review" filter on the left to limit to these types of articles. Similarly, in the Scopus database, look for the "Review" filter on the left, under "Document Type". Books and dissertations or theses are other good options for finding a review of the literature.
In history the equivalent of this is called a historiography, and they come in several forms. The simplest is a book review of a source or topic you're interested in. JSTOR and America History and Life both include book reviews. At chapter length they often form part of dissertations on your topic--search for those in Proquest Dissertations. At book length you can find them in the library catalog by picking a time period or a theme and adding "historiography" to your search.
In certain databases limit your results to peer-reviewed or "scholarly articles." Or look the journal up in Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory. Ulrich's identifies peer-reviewed (refereed) journals with this icon:
For a selection of excellent journals and some e-books on various topics in global history, we recommend a few databases. Remember to explore these database "advanced search" options for date and other modifiers before you run your searches.