Finding Primary Sources
Primary Sources can be tricky to identify! Watch this video to gain a better understanding of what a primary source is and consult this list to learn more about the many types of primary sources that are available to you! The most important thing to remember is when considering a primary source for your research - ask what time period the item was created in. If it matches the time period of your research - it could be considered a primary source!
Consider the following questions as you observe and study your primary source. Depending on what medium your primary source is in (i.e. photograph, drawing, letter, newspaper article), the following tips might need to be changed to accommodate the type of primary source. It's important to remember that whatever source you are viewing, you must engage and think critically about it.
Author Authority & Date
- Who is the author?
- What do you know about them?
- When was this created?
Purpose
- Why was this source created?
- Who was the intended audience for this source?
Content
- What is the main idea of the primary source?
- What can you observe about the primary source?
- What is it telling you about an event, or life, or time period?
- Has the source been altered in any way from the original?
Context
- How does this source fit into what you know is happening in this time period?
- What questions could be answered by using this source?
- How does this source fit into other scholarly narratives? Does it challenge those narratives?
Limitations
- What biases or assumptions might have influenced the author or creator?
Connection
- How does this source fit into my argument?
- How does this source fit into my historical knowledge?
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Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
NOTE: Oxford University Press upgraded the OED in July 2023, causing unplanned access issues. Off-campus users may experience login problems until Oxford resolves the problem.
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American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Documents the life of Americas people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction and into the early 20th c. (Coverage: 1693-1877)
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American Consumer Culture This link opens in a new window
Interdisciplinary, cross-searchable collection of 3 databases that explore the history of American consumer culture. (Coverage: 1850-2000)
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Archives of Sexuality and Gender This link opens in a new window
Historical primary source publications relating to the history and study of sex, sexuality, gender research and gender studies research. (Coverage: 16th - 21st centuries)
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Defining Gender This link opens in a new window
Original British source material provides access to material that will enrich the teaching and research experience of those studying history, literature, sociology, and education from a gendered perspective. Allows scholars to research the ideals of social conduct, power distribution within the family, consumption and leisure, education of men and women, and gendered perceptions of the body to analyse and challenge the changing views and ideas surrounding traditional gender roles. (Coverage: Mid 15th c. to early 20th c.).
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Everyday Life and Women in America, c.1800-1920 This link opens in a new window
Showcases unique primary source material for the study of American social, cultural, and popular history in the 19th and early 20th centuries. (Coverage: c.1800-1920)
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Gender: Identity and Social Change This link opens in a new window
Primary source material drawn from across the U. S., Canada, U.K. and Australia. Documents 3 centuries of expansive developments in gender roles and relations. From traditional constructions of femininity and masculinity, to the struggle for women’s rights and the emergence of the men’s movement, this resource documents three centuries of expansive developments in gender roles and relations. (Coverage: 19th to 21st centuries)
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Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
Digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press, and alternative literary magazines. (Coverage: 20th century, primarily 1960s to the 1980s)
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North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
American and Canadian women’s diaries and correspondence, spanning more than 300 years. (Coverage: Colonial - 1950s)
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Public Health Archives: Public Health in Modern America, 1890-1970 This link opens in a new window
Examines the history of public health and the policy debates that ensued in the delivery of services at the national, state and local levels during pivotal times in history. (Coverage: 1890-1970)
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Sex and Sexuality This link opens in a new window
Explores changing attitudes towards human sexuality, gender identities and sexual behaviors from the 19th to 21st centuries. Includes the work of leading sexologists, sex researchers, organizations and personal accounts.
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Women's Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Full backfiles of leading womens interest consumer magazines. Titles are scanned from cover to cover in high-resolution color. (Coverage: late 19th c.-2005)
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Broken Beautiful PressRadical zines, many by women of color, created to support radical self- & collective- growth, transformation, healing, and imagining-together. You can download PDFs of the zines for free from the site
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Digital Public Library of AmericaThe DPLA portal searches collections held by US archives, libraries and museums.
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Digital Sexuality ArchiveThe Digital Sexuality Archive is a gateway to a plethora of digital resources concerning the history of sex and sexuality. Use DIG Sex to locate digital archives and collections that contain primary sources for your research project. You can search by subject, place, time period, type of collection, and more. Scroll down through each item's content to find the URL that will take you to the digital archive or collection that contains materials relevant to your search.
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Digital Transgender ArchiveAn online hub for digitized historical materials, born-digital materials, and information on archival holdings throughout the world
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Downloadable Reproductive Justice ZinesFrom Barnard College
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LGBTQ+ History of DelawareDelaware's first digital queer history resource. Telling the untold stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.
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Mapping the Gay GuidesWhile operating one of his many gay bars in the 1960s, Bob Damron started a side project publishing gay travel guides that featured bars like his. Called the Bob Damron Address Books, these guides proved popular and became a valuable resource for gay travelers looking for friends, companions, and safety.
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NYPL LGBTQ+ ArchivesBreaks their collection down by groups within the community.
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Queer Omaha ArchivesOral history collection.
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Queer Zine Archive ProjectThe Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP) was first launched in November 2003 in an effort to preserve queer zines and make them available to other queers, researchers, historians, punks, and anyone else who has an interest DIY publishing and underground queer communities.
To get started with the zine archive try browsing through the collections or searching for specific terms. -
Rainbow History ProjectCollecting information on Washington DC's LGBTQIA+ History. Includes information on the AIDS Memorial Quilt.