Primary Sources

Finding primary sources is a multi-step process. There is no "one-stop-shop" database that will give you everything you need for your paper. Follow these tips: 

• Look at the bibliographies and footnotes from articles and books to see what primary sources those scholars are using for evidence
• Think and research multiple institutions, archives, or repositories that could have information and collections about your project
• Use historical language 

When searching for primary source collections online, include the following additional phrases with your keywords: 

• online collections
• digital collections
• digitized collections

Be aware that digital collections only show a small portion of what an institution holds!