What are primary sources?

Primary sources can be defined as the “texts nearest to any subject of investigation” [Marius, Richard A.  A Short Guide to Writing about History, 5th ed., 2005, p. 17].

These include:

• Letters, diaries, memoirs, and other first-person accounts
• Certain government publications, such as Congressional hearings
• Official accounts by people in authority, such as Secretary of the Navy reports
• Oral histories or interviews
• Most newspaper and periodical articles from the time period of the event
• Other material from the time such as pamphlets, broadsheets, or photographs

By contrast, secondary sources are an author’s interpretation of an event based on primary sources and include:

• Most scholarly books
• Textbooks
• Most magazine and journal articles

Why use primary sources

The use of at least one primary source, and normally more, is a requirement for almost all History research papers.  Primary sources are often the best sources of information because they are original and you interpret them and draw your own conclusions.  Working with primary sources is always good use of your time in researching your topic.

Formats for primary sources

Primary sources may be found in a variety of formats including:

• Original documents in archives and libraries
• Reproductions of documents in published collections like books
• Microform copies of the originals
• CD-ROMs
• Digitized on the Web

What about the Internet?

The majority of primary sources are not yet available on the Web, so most students will need to come to the Library to find appropriate primary source material.  However, the conversion of important historical documents to digital form is well underway, so you may find some primary source items through the Internet.  It is important to evaluate the site you are using for authenticity and reliability.  Ask your professor or a librarian if you are not sure about Internet documents you find.

Locating primary sources in Nimitz Library

Nimitz Library owns many collections of primary sources in a variety of formats.  Documents, manuscripts, or personal papers in their original form are kept in the Special Collections and Archives Division.  However, many of the Library’s primary sources are reproduced in other formats and are in the general collection.

There is no separate listing of all the primary sources in Nimitz Library, but all of them in the general collection have a record in the Library’s catalog.   Some ideas to identify primary sources are:

• Search the people involved in your event as an author to see what they may have written about it or about their life
• Use the keyword phrase “personal narratives” and any war or battle to find accounts of people who participated
• Check the bibliographies in the books you use or other bibliographies since they often list primary sources
• Look in the collections of documents for ones on your specific topic by using the index.  For example, the U.S. Navy Action and Operational Reports from World War II (44 microfilm reels under call number D767.U52) contain primary source reports on most of the Pacific battles
• Use the printed newspaper and periodical indexes in the Library to identify articles from the time of your event if it is pre-20^th century, since most electronic databases do not go back to the 18^th or 19^th century.
• Consider looking for government publications, if relevant, such as Congressional hearings to fund a program, a Congressional investigation into an incident, or the Annual Reports to Congress from the Secretary of the Navy or Defense
• Ask a librarian for further assistance

Citing primary sources

Primary sources need to be cited like all resources you use for your research.   Check the style manual recommended by your professor or the link to citing sources on Nimitz Library’s web page.

Getting help with primary sources

Ask the Reference Librarian on duty at the Reference Desk for help in identifying or finding primary sources.  You can also directly contact the History Librarian.

Examples of Primary Source Tip Sheets from other colleges

Georgetown University
http://www.library.georgetown.edu/guides/primary/

University of California, Berkeley
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html

University of North Carolina, Wilmington
http://library.uncwil.edu/web/research/topic/primaryresources.htm

Yale University
http://www.library.yale.edu/instruction/primsource.html

Return to History Primary Sources Page

The links on this page are to sites that are not located at the United States Naval Academy. The USNA is not responsible for the content found on these sites. In addition, the content of these sites does not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards, policy or endorsement of the Naval Academy or the United States Government.

Comments or suggestions?
URL: http://www.usna.edu/Library/History/Histtips.html
Last updated: 15 May 2008