Libraries
  Minerva, the catalog Databases A-Z Journal Finder Subject Guides More Tools Help

Primary & Secondary Sources


What are Primary and Seconday Sources?
Getting Started: What you need to know about your topic
Getting Results: Resources to Use and How to Use Them
Primary Sources Online

What are Primary and Secondary Sources?

  1. Primary Sources:
    A primary source is a document or other evidence of an event and/or person/culture, written or created during the time under study. Simply put, the author or creator was actually present at the time of the event, thus he/she is able to offer a firsthand account. Primary sources include the following:

    1. Original Documents:
      Diaries, letters, speeches, minutes (notes) from meetings, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records (birth/marriage/death certificates), scholarly journal articles reporting NEW research or findings, newspaper articles (giving firsthand account of an event)Government records and documents (laws, reports, statistics, etc).
      EXAMPLES:
      • Diary of Anne Frank- A young Jewish girl writes about her experiences during WWII.
      • United States Constitution- Content was created by "founding fathers" and has remained unchanged through time.
    2. Creative Works:
      Poetry, drama, novels, music, art, photography.
      EXAMPLE:
      Dubois Heyward's novel Porgy (1925), relevant as a primary source when studying images of 19th century African Americans in Charleston, North Carolina. Heyward based characters in the novel on African Americans he observed in 19th century Charleston
    3. Relics or Artifacts:
      Actual jewelry, pottery, clothing, buildings, etc. that were used during a particular period in history.
      EXAMPLE:
      Arrowheads & pottery: Items actually used by Native American cultures

  2. Secondary Sources:
    A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. In other words, a secondary source uses primary sources to contribute to its discussion/analysis of a particular topic.
    EXAMPLES:
    • textbooks
    • magazine and newspaper articles
    • critical commentaries
    • scholarly journal articles
    • encyclopedias


 

Getting Started: What you need to know about your topic

  1. Find the Right Reference Source:
    A good first step in finding primary materials is to look at the resources in the library's reference collection. These sources will give you an overview of the topic, will outline the basic historical context, and will help you identify key participants, dates and publications associated with your topic. They will often provide bibliographies of some major primary and secondary sources as well.

    1. Ask a Librarian
      Librarians can suggest reference sources, such as specialized encyclopedias, chronologies or handbooks, which will give you an historical overview of a topic or event and identify the participants. If you have specific people in mind already, biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias will give you background information and bibliographies.
      EXAMPLES:
      • Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups Ekstrom Library Ref E184.A1H35
      • Encyclopedia of Asian History Ekstrom Library Ref DS 31 .E53 1988
      • Encyclopedia of the Holocaust Ekstrom Library Ref D 804.3 .E53 1990
      • Current Biography (1940-present) Ekstrom Library Ref CT 100 .C8
      • American National Biography Ekstrom Library Ref CT 213 .A68 1999
    2. Use Bibliographies
      Specialized bibliographies and guides to research often give both an introductory overview of how to go about researching a particular topic as well as list specific primary and secondary sources.
      EXAMPLES:
      • A Guide to manuscript sources for the history of Latin America and the Caribbean in the British Isles Ekstrom Library CD1048.L35 G84 1973
      • Modern China: 1840-1972: An Introduction to Sources and Research Aids Ekstrom Library Ref Z3108.A4 N37
  2. Identify key participants, dates, and publications associated with your topic.
    When looking at reference sources, pick out names of people, organizations, and governmental agencies that were participants, and any publications such as reports, newsletters, magazines, pamphlets, etc. that they produced in conjunction with the events or developments you are researching. Search for these names and titles in the library catalog, Minerva. (see Minerva section below)


 

Getting Results: Resources to Use and How to Use Them

  1. Books:
    Use Minerva to find books owned by U of L libraries. You search Minerva to see if we have a particular title, to find what we have on a specific topic. The location and call number in the record tell you where to find the book.

    1. Searching Minerva for Primary Materials
      There are some techniques you can use when searching Minerva to identify primary sources, or books that contain primary source material. Use Advanced Search. In the first box, enter the topic you are interested in. In the second box, enter the appropriate type of material, such as: correspondence, personal narratives (use quotations to search this as a phrase), diaries, sources, speeches. For Travel accounts, you need to use both the words "travel" and "diaries".

    2. Collections in Reference
      There are books that compile primary materials under one title. These collections provide quick access to primary sources if they are relevant to your topic.
      EXAMPLES:
      • The African American archive: the history of the Black experience in documents Ekstrom Library Ref. E184.6 .A33
      • The Annals of America Ekstrom Library Ref. E173 .A793 1976
      • Documents of American History Ekstrom Library Ref. E 173 .D59 1988
      • Documents of German History Ekstrom Library Ref. DD3 .S55
      • Representative American Speeches Ekstrom Library Ref. PS 668 .B3
      • Women's rights in the United States: a documentary history Ekstrom Library Ref. HQ1236.5 .U6W68
    3. Bibliographies
      Other books in Reference will give bibliographic citations to primary sources.
      EXAMPLES:
      • American Diaries: An Annoted Bibliography of Published American Diaries and Journals (1492-1980) Ekstrom Library Ref. CT 214 .A7 1983
      • Black Americans in Autobiography Ekstrom Library Ref. E185.96 .B8 1984
      • Civil War diaries and personal narratives, 1960-1994 Ekstrom Library Ref. E464 .L53
      • Early Midwestern travel narratives., 1634-1850 Ekstrom Library Ref. Z1251 .W5H8
      • Travel accounts and descriptions of Latin America and the Caribbean, 1800-1920; a selected bibliography Ekstrom Library Ref. F1409 .W4 1982
  2. Articles - Indexes and Databases:
    Use indexes and databases to identify articles in scholarly journals, popular magazines, or newspapers. Some databases will provide the full text of the article online, while indexes and many databases may only provide the information necessary to locate the article in the library. You will need to write down the "citation" for the article (author, title, name of journal, date, pages) and search for the title of the journal in Minerva. If we don't own the journal at UofL, you may still be able to get it from another institution.

    ***Remember that these articles may be primary sources, but more often they will be secondary sources. Since secondary sources may lead you to primary sources, they are still a very important part of your research.


    1. Selecting the Best Database
      You might begin by choosing one of the following general sources
      EXAMPLES:
      ***To find other appropriate databases, go to "Article Databases by Topic" on the library home page http://library.louisville.edu/ and select from the topic area closest to your subject for more options.


    2. Searching the Database
      You can search in various ways, depending on the database. Most useful are searches:
      • By subject (keyword)
      • By name of a person, as author or subject
      • By name of event or place

      If you are having trouble getting results with a search, try the Help function of the database, or consult a Librarian.


    3. Print Indexes
      Some indexes still exist only in paper, while many are now available as online databases. Ask a Librarian for assistance in finding those which might be useful in your research.


  3. Internet / WWW
    Do not begin your research by doing a general web search because it may lead to websites that are not accurate or authoritative. If you do wish to explore some websites, here are some suggestions for identifying appropriate sources:

    1. Use Sites Identified by the Libraries
      Go to "Other Subject Guides" on the library home page http://library.louisville.edu/ and click on the topic which best fits your subject. Look in the "Subtopics" tab. The librarians have selected authoritative sites and other resources which may be helpful.

    2. Government Sites
      Governments at all levels have created excellent websites of documents and historic data. Many can be found through the Library's Government Resources webpage, http://library.louisville.edu/government/.
      EXAMPLES:
    3. Web Search
      If you choose to perform a general search through a search engine (such as Google), be sure to use very specific search terms and look critically at the sites you retrieve. (Tips on evaluating websites) Or, use the Primary Sources Online list that the library has compiled.


  4. Special Collections and Finding Aids
    Most libraries have special collections and archives which contain excellent primary sources in the form of manuscripts, official documents, and photographs.

    1. At the University of Louisville Libraries:
      There are two online guides to these materials at the University of Louisville:
      1. For Love of Learning: An Introduction to Special Collections & Primary Sources at the University of Louisville Libraries and Archives (2001) http://special.library.louisville.edu/ This is a guide to rare books, manuscripts, and photographic collections in the university libraries.
      2. The University Archives and Records Center (UARC) has many finding aids to its collections available online at: http://library.louisville.edu/uarc/findkyvl.htm Some are available only by going to UARC (4th floor, Ekstrom Library).

    2. In the Louisville Area:
      Other area libraries offer additional archival resources. Particularly significant are:
      If you need help contacting these libraries, ask for assistance at the Reference Desk.

 

University Libraries | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY 40292 | 502-852-6747
Site Index | Comment Form | Staff Intranet