Primary sources are materials that were created at the time period you are studying. In the case of memoirs, they are the materials recorded later by a participant or witness of an event.
Examples of primary sources are:
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As you do background research on your topic, consider what primary sources might exist. Bibliographies you find in books and articles often mention their primary source material.
Published collections of primary sources often contain materials such as diary entries, letters, government documents, newspaper articles, speeches, and photographs.
Follow these steps to find collections of published primary sources on a topic using the EMU Library’s Esearch system:
1. Go to the "Advanced" search screen in Esearch.
2. In the first search box, type one or more words or phrases that describe your topic.
3. In another search row, change the drop-down menu from Any Field to Subject.
4. In the Subject search box, enter one of the following terms::
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archival resources biography correspondence diaries early works to 1800 |
facsimiles interviews letters manuscripts memoirs |
narratives notebooks oratory pamphlets |
sketchbooks sources speeches treaties |
5. (Optional) To limit results to books only, use the Material Type drop-down menu and select Books.
6. Click the Search button.