Skip to Main Content

History - European

A guide to library and quality web resources useful for European history research

Primary Sources Handouts

Tips for identifying Primary Sources

  • Look for primary sources listed in the bibliographies of secondary sources on your topic.
  • Look for primary sources that are published or reprinted in books
  • Use periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals) from the time period.
  • Don't forget to look for government and organization documents, if relevant.

Find Memoirs, Letters, Interviews, & More

Add Primary Source Keywords to Your Search Terms

  • autobiography
  • memoir
  • sources
  • personal narrative*
  • letters
  • correspondence
  • diaries
  • diary
  • interview*
  • oral history
  • archives
  • speeches
  • notebooks, sketchbooks

Example:
Kenya and history and (letters or correspondence or narratives)

This technique can be used in LibrarySearch, or other databases.