Primary sources give first-hand accounts of topics or events. They are the evidence left behind by participants or observers. Primary sources include diaries, speeches, letters, manuscripts, memoirs, autobiographies, records of governments or organizations, and published materials (books, journals, newspaper articles) written at the time of an event or issue. Primary sources may include photographs, tape recordings, oral histories, and maps. In literature, an original work such as a novel, poem, short story or play is also considered to be a primary source.
Secondary sources are accounts of the past written after the event and are often based on information found in primary sources. They interpret or analyze a particular event. Secondary sources include textbooks, encyclopedias, and literary criticism.
Helpful hint: it is often a good idea to review the secondary literature first, to can gain a sense of the key players and events associated with the topic. Primary sources are a lot easier to find with specific names and events for searching.
To search for primary source materials in DELCAT, the Library's online catalog, combine subject terms with additional terms that pertain to the type of material. Such terms include correspondence, diaries, letters, manuscripts, papers, personal narratives, and sources. Use the advanced search option to combine multiple criteria.
| Examples: | |||
| keywords | soldiers and diaries | ||
| keywords | personal narratives and civil war and united states | ||
| keywords | women AND world war 1939-1945 AND (sources OR letters OR diaries) | ||
| subjects | Manuscripts, American--Facsimiles | ||
| subjects | Manuscripts--Catalogs | ||
The Special Collections Department in the Morris Library includes many primary sources. Consult with the staff to identify appropriate sources. Note: manuscript collections may not be in DELCAT.
Many collections of primary materials relating to the history of the United States and other countries have been digitized and made available on the Internet.
See the guide: Databases for National History Day
