Many students may find useful this definition of primary sources:: "Primary sources are those with a direct link, in time and place, to the person, event, situation, or culture under study."
For example, a newspaper article on the outbreak of World War II in 1939 would be a primary source; a newspaper article on the outbreak of that war in 2014 would be considered a secondary source. A primary source, such Abraham Lincoln's "Emancipation Proclamation," issued January 1, 1863, is a primary source, but it is also a primary source when republished in 1963.
Primary sources are the foundation of historical research and history writing, as opposed to secondary sources, which are books on history researched from primary and secondary sources. Students who go on from this class to write capstone papers are expected to make use of primary documents and sources, as well as secondary sources.
Below are some examples of primary sources located in the Lewis University Library, either in the reference section or the general circulation collection.
Newspapers are an extraordinary primary source. The best place to find newspapers in the library databases is the Proquest Historical Newspapers. History majors will find most useful the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times, both dating back to around 1850.
To find this resource go to the ProQuest database, and click the icon for Historical Newspapers. You will then get the Historical Newspapers page, and we recommend that you click "Advanced" for advanced search. Under Search Options, you will need to narrow the date to either the precise date, a date range, or to before or after a certain date.
Search for historical articles in the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal.