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BWRIT 135 Research Writing (Spiegler): Primary Sources

How to locate primary sources on the web

Use Keywords

When you don’t have a specific primary source in mind, for search terms use your subject plus "primary sources." Try using the 'AND' between your search terms.

Example:

world war I soldiers primary sources

Chicano movement AND primary sources

Other keywords:

anecdotes archives
biography caricatures and cartoons
case studies correspondence
description and travel diaries
documentary photography
interviews manuscripts
notebooks personal narratives
pictorial works public opinion
songs and music sources
speeches statistics

Maps

Possible starting points

News

Government Documents

Images

Personal accounts

Personal Accounts

You can use the UW Libraries Search to find published personal accounts.  Try using the terms diaries, correspondence, oral histories or interviews in combination with your topic terms.
Examples:

  • correspondence Civil War
  • diaries pioneers
  • oral histories Woodstock
  • September 11 interviews

Primary Sources in Books

There are lots of keywords that can be used to identify books with primary source material using UW Libraries Search. Some examples are:

anecdotes archives
biography caricatures and cartoons
case studies correspondence
description and travel diaries
documentary photography
interviews manuscripts
notebooks personal narratives
pictorial works public opinion
songs and music sources
speeches statistics

What are primary sources?

Primary sources are artifacts created at the time of the event, issue or person you are studying. 

Some examples of primary sources include:

  • personal accounts (interviews, diaries, letters, etc.)
  • images (photographs, paintings, maps, etc.)
  • newspapers
  • government documents

Tips on interpreting primary sources: