Research Guides: Historian's Craft &amp; Uses (33-301): Primary Sources: Finding and Identifying

Finding and Identifying Sources

Think of primary sources as raw data, and secondary sources as the analysis of that data.

Primary sources are contemporary, first-hand accounts/individual representations and works of events, topics, or historical periods. These are usually experienced and created concurrently. A primary source is unfiltered information, meaning there is no analysis or outside review.

Examples of primary sources: letters, diaries, personal papers, memoirs/autobiographies, newspaper articles, speeches, dossiers, reports, artifacts (tools, weapons, ornaments from the time), works or art, audio/visual recordings, etc.

Secondary sources are built off of the primary sources. These summarize, evaluate, and/or analyze the content within a primary source. Secondary sources allow for consideration and formation of new perspectives and interpretations of the impact of an event/period/etc.

Examples of secondary sources: textbooks, monographs (single-topic book), research articles, reviews, theses, dissertations, biographies, data analysis, commentaries, etc.

Some keywords that are associated with primary source materials:
letters, diaries, papers, memoirs, autobiography, journals, documents, dossiers, transcripts, reports
Sample search using primary source keywords:
Tolstoy AND (letter or diar* or memoir)

When searching, include any of the boldface text below to locate primary materials about your topic. The boldface words are contained in subject headings, which is why the words starts with DE:

DE: sources
Soviet Union -- History -- Sources
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Influence – Sources
DE: correspondence
Prime ministers -- Great Britain -- Correspondence
Stalin, Joseph, 1879-1953 – Correspondence
DE: personal narratives
World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives
Berlin (Germany) -- History -- Blockade, 1948-1949 -- Personal narratives
DE: diaries
War correspondents -- United States -- Diaries.
Bush, George, 1924- -- Diaries.
DE: speeches
Speeches, addresses, etc.
DE: pictorial works
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Pictorial works.
Spain -- History -- Civil War, 1936-1939 -- Pictorial works
DE: archives
DE: material culture

Author Searching
If an historical figure that is important to your research has published books, search for them as an author:

Khrushchev, Nikita Sergeevich, 1894-1971
Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeevich 1931

Services	Other Links	About Us
Ask a Librarian Teaching Resources Interlibrary Loan Off-campus Access Library DIY	Resource Suggestion/Request Brick & Click Conference Research Awards Maryville Public Library Privacy Policy	Mission Statement Hours Library Directory Horace Mann Library Terms & Conditions