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Education (Research Resources): Primary Sources

What Are Primary Sources?

Primary sources are first-hand accounts, original manuscripts, records, or documents produced from the time period at hand. 

Some examples of primary sources include: 

  • Photographs or artwork
  • Maps
  • Letters
  • Personal narratives, memoirs, or diaries 
  • Interviews 
  • Speeches
  • Government documents
  • Historical records
  • Court cases

These may be available in their original form or they may be reproduced or reprinted in a book, digital repository, or other source.

Other LibGuides about Primary Sources

Websites with Primary Sources

Library Databases with Primary Sources

Teaching with Primary Sources

Citing Primary Sources

Specific Considerations for Citing Archival Materials and Collections

  • Use square brackets to indicate information that does not appear on the document.
  • Use “ca.” (circa) to indicate an estimated date (see Example 5).
  • Use italics for titles of archival documents and collections; if the work does not have a title, provide a description in square brackets without italics. 
  • Separate elements of the source (e.g., the name of a repository, library, university or archive, and the location of the university or archive) with commas. End the source with a period.

Librarian

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Becky Leathersich
She/Her/Hers
Contact:
Fraser Hall Library 203A
(585) 245-5542
Website