LibGuides: Primary, Seconday & Tertiary Sources: Primary Sources

Primary v. Secondary Sources

WHAT IS A PRIMARY SOURCE?

Voter Registration Card - History Dept. North Carolina State Univeristy

Primary Sources - original, first-hand observations or accounts of events or experiments. May include speeches, interviews, diaries, newspaper articles, photographs, video, and archival materials.

Empirical Data, which is a primary source, is data collected by the author through direct experimentation or observation.

Here are some tips:
In the PsycINFO database, enter your topic in the search boxes.
Then scroll down below the search boxes until you see the Methodology box in the right column.
In the Methodology box click on Empirical Study.

For more information on what constitutes a primary, secondary, or tertiary source see the Primary Sources guide from the William H. Hannon Library at LMU.

Primary Source Research at Merrill Library How and where to find primary source materials.

More Primary Sources!

Alexander Hamilton Papers
The Library of Congress has put the papers of Alexander Hamilton online for the first time in their original format.

The Library holds the world’s largest collection of Hamilton papers—approximately 12,000 items concentrated from 1777 until Hamilton’s death in 1804, including letters, legal papers and drafts of speeches and writings, among other items. Now, for the first time, these original documents—many in Hamilton’s own hand—will be available for researchers, students or the generally curious anywhere in the world to explore, zoom in and read. loc.gov/collections/alexander-hamilton-papers/.

Primary & Secondary Sources Explained

Primary Sources on the Web

The example on the left is only one selection available online; locate additional resources by searching for your topic using words like archives, letters or digital library. If searching for a person, search by name, using words like, diary or autobiography. If searching for original research, use words like, research, or study along with your topic keywords.

There are many free websites devoted to or containing significant collections of primary source materials. The following are just a few recommended websites for primary source materials:

Library of Congress Digital Collections
Audio, film, and texts from the Library of Congress
American Presidency Project
Links to Presidential papers, addresses, and other documents, US Government.
Documents for the Study of American History
Jamor historical documents form US history. University of Kansas
EuroDocs
Maine Memory Network
Massachusetts Historical Society
Many digital resources of local, historical interest. Includes Adams and Jefferson papers and diaries
Miller Center for Public Affairs
Over 4,000 hours of audio and video form nation's history. University of Virginia
Smithsonian Institution
Website of the Smithsonian, which includes 19 national museums, copious amounts of audio, video, and digital text material accessible
Thomas - Web Archive (Library of Congress)
Bill, reports and other Congressional documents. US Government
PRB’s 2014 interactive world Map