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World History Research - Wendt: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary Sources on the Web

Primary Sources Portal

World History Primary Sources Portal

This guide from West Sound Academy will help you locate primary sources related to your topic.

Primary Sources in the Databases

The databases also contain primary sources! There are two ways to locate them:

1. Advanced Search: Click on the Advanced Search option. Enter in a keyword or phrase, then scroll down to limit your search to Primary Sources under the content type and/or document type drop down menus.

2. Through a Topic Portal: If you are using a topic portal in Research in Context or World History in Context, scroll down until you see the Primary Sources heading. Alternatively, you can use the toolbar on the right to select Primary Sources.

Characteristics of Primary Sources

From UCI Libraries' Intro to Primary Sources:

  • Primary sources can either be first-hand observation/analysis, or accounts contemporary with the events described.
  • Primary sources document events, people, viewpoints of the time.
  • It is important when using anything as a primary source that the researcher be cognizant of and sensitive to the bias of the observer/analyzer that created the primary source, and also to the broader cultural biases of the era in which the primary source was created.