Primary sources are first-hand accounts of an event or time in history. Unlike secondary sources (such as journal articles), primary sources don't provide any analysis or interpretation. Think of them as a sort of raw material, not yet evaluated by another person.
Primary sources are especially useful for researchers because they reveal how certain topics and ideas were understood during a specific time and place.
When you are looking at primary sources, keep in mind these questions:
To find published primary sources in UC Library Search, try these strategies:
-Search by date of publication to find sources that were published during the time period you're researching
Enter your search terms and add one or more of these terms: