ASSIGNMENTS: PRIMARY RESOURCES 

Primary resources consist of original sources of information, created during the time period being studied or at a later date by a participant in the events being studied.  They reflect the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer and include:

• diaries, journals, witnesses, interviews (first person accounts)
• government documents (census info, tax records, raw statistics)
• films, poems, novels, short stories (when they are the subject of your essay)
• photographs

Secondary resources consist of information produced using primary resources; they interpret or analyze primary resources and include:

• history books
• encyclopedias
• essays and articles written about an event by someone who was not present
• biographies
• newspapers
• films, poems, novels, short stories

Activity and Handouts: ARC Guide for Educators National Archives materials

Assignment: Making History UW-Stout

Rubric: Analyzing a Primary Source Pearson Education

Worksheets: Using Primary Resources WI Historical Society

To locate primary documents related to American history, try these sites first:

• AmDocs: Documents for the Study of American History with a Quick Find by date
• American Memory From the Library of Congress; Is a gateway to primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States.
• Core Documents of U.S. Democracy Basic federal government documents that define American democracy
• Archival Research Catalog Search the National Archives.gov for some of the most significant documents on U.S. history
• Civil Rights Digital Library Includes unedited news film and television archives.

• Web Sites with Primary Documents (UW-Stout) Includes categories for Native Americans, Asian Americans, etc.
• Repositories of Primary Sources 5000+ websites describing holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs, and other primary sources; divided geographically and alphabetically

The University Library subscribes to several databases which include primary resources:

• Indexes/Databases for History (UW-Stout)
• Index/Databases List of ALL UW-Stout Databases

These are specialized databases which include primary resources:

• British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries
• Gerritsen Collection-Women's History Online
• North American Women's Letters and Diaries
• Women and Social Movements

• Allow time!  You may need to identify a major resource and sift through a great deal of text to identify useful information.
• Be patient and persistent!  There may be several steps in your research--identifying an appropriate collection, then using different search methods to view materials, and selecting appropriate content.
• Ask questions!  Primary documents need to be interpreted.  Use How to Read Primary Documents
• Cite materials properly!  Use the Citing Primary Resources page for examples of citations in MLA and APA formats.

Citing Resources

Evaluating Resources

RefWorks and Other Citation Management Tools

Avoiding Plagiarism

Research Tutorial

Searching the Web

8/3/09