"Primary sources are materials produced by people or groups directly involved in the event or topic under consideration, either as participants or as witnesses."
Quoted from:A Pocket Guide to Writing History, 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007
Examples of primary sources, both print and online, include:
|
Primary Sources: Materials which have not been interpreted by another person. Original documents or works of art created at or near the time an event occurred. Primary sources provide first hand accounts of experiences or events. Information is generally presented in its original form, whether it be a work of literature or art, or an account of an event or experience, or original documents or research products such as interviews, speeches, questionnaires, letters, diaries, manuscripts, memoirs, etc. Includes books, periodicals, and web sites.
|
Secondary Sources: Secondary sources provide second hand accounts of events. These sources include materials that have been reported, analyzed, or interpreted by people who do not have firsthand knowledge of an event and may be found in books or periodicals, or on web sites.
|
To search for primary sources in the EBSCOhost databases including: Academic Search Complete and History Reference Center, type your search terms than select Primary Source Document from the Publication Type menu:
Try a keyword search on a person or event in history.
Covers both U.S. & world history. Provides background information on specific events throughout history; pro/con articles that cover all sides of specific events/issues in history; historical timelines and primary sources. (Full text)
After you select the specific issue you are interested in, click on Primary Sources from the menu on the left.
The American Revolution in Indian Country: Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities
Documents of Native American Political Development, 1500 to 1933To search for primary sources in Reynolds Libraries catalog, try subject terms such as:
Subject term Examples:
If the person you are researching has written any books on their views or life (autobiography), try an author search in the catalog.
Author Examples:
