Primary sources are context dependent. That is, material is a primary source depending on how you use it.
Not every primary source will be available online or in digital form. Many sources are still available only in print, microform, or archival format.
Not every primary source will available in English. Keep this in mind especially when you are working on a world history topic.
Not every primary source is lendable through Interlibrary Loan. While many sources (like periodicals on microfilm) are available for lending via Interlibrary, most Special Collections libraries will not lend their materials.
This guide is NOT a comprehensive list of all existing primary sources. You will likely need to do some searching beyond this guide to find primary resources related to your specific topic.
Primary sources provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence of a topic. They are the documents closest to the topic being explored and are often created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events being documented. Sometimes they were created at the time events were occurring, but they can also be recorded later (like memoirs or oral histories).
In contrast, secondary materials interpret primary materials (such as textbooks, articles in journals or magazines, histories, criticisms, commentaries, and encyclopedias).
Some types of primary sources:
