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A primary source is a document or piece of evidence written or created during the time period you are studying. A primary source allows you to examine evidence firsthand without being affected by other opinions.
Types of Primary Sources:
Diaries
Letters
Memos/E-mails
Speeches (both the text of the speech & the giving of the speech)
Manuscripts
Autobiographies
Interviews
Patents
Laws, legislation, court rulings
Newspaper & magazine articles as an event happened
Technical reports (i.e., accounts of work done on research projects)
Note on Primary Sources
Finding primary sources for this time period can be a more a more difficult task than finding primary sources for more modern history where photography, diaries, and videos are available.
Keep in mind you may be able to utilize the primary sources found in some of your secondary sources. For example, you might find a map in a book from the time period you are studying or find an image of hieroglyphics you want to utilize. While the book would be a secondary source, those parts could count as primary sources.
If you have questions about this or need clarification, ask a librarian or your instructor.
Librarian recommended!
A digital library of images designed to enhance teaching, learning, and scholarship. ARTstor currently contains approximately 400,000 images from a wide range of cultures and time periods. Images can be viewed in detail through features such as zooming and panning, saving groups of images online for personal or shared uses, and creating and delivering presentations both online and offline.
Description: The Artstor Digital Library is a database of 2 million images for use in the humanities. Comprised of nearly 300 collections from museums, archives, scholars, and artists, the Artstor Digital Library makes available high-qualities images for download, along with tools for exporting images into PowerPoint and creating citations.
Subjects covered include history of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa in the period 400-1500. Find scholarly articles, conference proceedings, essay collections, Festschriften, and exhibition catalogs.
The database comprises over 300,000 articles derived from regular coverage of some 4500 periodicals and 5000 miscellany volumes.
Subjects covered include world history including biographies, cultural trends, political movements, wars & conflicts, and religions. Find academic, popular, trade, and primary sources.
Project Gutenberg is an on-going project to produce and distribute free electronic editions of books in the public domain. Most are works of literature such as novels, poetry, and drama.
Subjects covered include ethnic and regional studies, history and biography, government and politics. Find news, scholarly articles, historical & archival documents, statistics, and reference materials.