Handbook for Historians Research Guide

Sources for History research can include books, articles, and historical materials. Start searching in the boxes below. 

Use these definitions to help you determine if a source is primary or secondary: 

Primary Sources:

• Are materials that contain direct evidence, first-hand testimony, or an eyewitness account concerning a topic or event under investigation
• Are materials or documents that were created during the time of the event in which you are interested
• Provide the raw data for your research

Examples of Primary Sources

• Diaries, letters, correspondence, interviews
• newspaper articles directly reporting on the event,
• Government documents, maps, interviews,
• Statistics, or photographs. 

The way a source is interpreted or used by the researcher determines whether it is a primary source. Most sources have the potential to be a primary source, but it always depends on the historical context.

Secondary Sources:

• Often interpret or analyze primary sources
• Often analyze or interpret a topic or an event 
• Are materials or documents created after the time of the event or topic in which you are interested

Examples of Secondary Sources

• Scholarly books
• Scholarly book reviews 
• Scholarly articles or essays
• Biographies
• Documentaries
• Textbooks
• Many books and articles with "review," "history," "criticism," "interpretation," "analysis," or "commentary" in the title

   

Always remember that a librarian can help with any research questions you have! 

This widget has an ID of 55083951. Reuse it by searching for "Search Form: E-Books". The code for this widget is maintained on GitHub.

Note: This form is built on the advanced search. This is what gives us the ability to limit by location and material type. Unfortunately, this form doesn't accept the search type dropdown menu (found in simple search) and therefore author, title, subject and other search types can not be used.

Middle Ages

Ancient Civilizations

Modern History - 14th-18th Centuries

Modern History -19th century - present