Finding Primary & Secondary Sources in the Library
Tips for locating primary sources:
Search by author: If your topic is a historical person, try searching for that person as an author. For example, if you want to find letters or speeches written by Frederick Douglass, type "Douglass, Frederick" in the AUTHOR field.
Important keywords: Add words like "letters," "correspondence," "diaries," "papers," or "archives" to your search terms. For example searching for "Abraham Lincoln correspondence" will help you find letters written by or to Abraham Lincoln.
Limit your search: Some databases allow you to restrict your search to certain types of documents. Look for fields like "Material Type" or "Document Type" where you can ask for particular kinds of documents like letters, manuscripts, or archives.
Tips for locating secondary sources:
Try to combine topic, keyword, or a person's name with any of the following: "biography," "encyclopedia," "article," "review," "criticism," "analysis."
Try these databases as you search for primary sources:
