LibGuides: History Day: Rights and Responsibilities in History 2025

Tertiary Sources

Tertiary sources generally provide an overview or summary of a topic and may contain both primary and secondary sources. The information is displayed as entirely factual, and does not include analysis or critique.

Helpful for background information and understanding historical events, people, dates.
Tertiary sources help you develop ideas and may lead to primary and secondary sources.
- Encyclopedias
- Almanacs
- Bibliographies
- Chronologies
- Dictionaries
- Directories
- Fact books
- Guidebooks
- Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies used to locate primary and secondary sources
- Manuals
- Textbooks

Where to find tertiary sources?

Book Catalog for Tsuzuki Group Library This link opens in a new window
Limit search to Reference Collection.

Using the Library's digital resources off campus?
Here's the link for usernames & passwords.

Britannica This link opens in a new window
Encyclopedia articles for background information.
World History: The Modern Era (ABC-CLIO) This link opens in a new window
Topics and perspectives on historical events, individuals, countries, with audio/visual clips, and primary sources -- from the beginning of the Renaissance to present day.
American History (ABC-CLIO) This link opens in a new window
Tertiary and primary sources on the United States with biographies, historical events in context, photos, maps, and audio/video clips.
Daily Life Through History (ABC-CLIO) This link opens in a new window
Topics and perspectives of daily life in past historical eras with essays, photos, maps, audio/visuals clips, and primary sources.
World Geography (ABC-CLIO) This link opens in a new window
Explore country information with overview, maps, photos, facts and figures, and audio/video clips.
World History: Ancient and Medieval (ABC-CLIO) This link opens in a new window
Explores ancient and medieval civilizations, dynasties, and empires: profiles city-states, countries, intellectual developments, wars and cooperation, cultural practices, and more up to the Renaissance.

Click on this link to access History Today through EBSCO. Check the box next to History Today and enter your topic in the "Search within this publication" box.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources address or analyze events, people, works, or topics.

Provides analysis and unique perspectives beyond background information.
Check the bibliography for leads to other secondary sources
- Books
- Magazine articles
- Newspaper articles
- Journal articles

Where to find secondary sources?

Book Catalog for Tsuzuki Group Library This link opens in a new window
Search by author, keyword, subject, or title of the book.

Using the Library's digital resources off campus?
Here's the link for usernames & passwords.

Ebook Central (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
Access over 100,000 authoritative and copyrighted academic level electronic books. Includes Academic Complete, DEI, and University Press collections.
MasterFILE Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Full-text of 2,400+ magazines on a wide range of subject areas - politics, sports, education, business, science, and much more.
World History In Context (Gale) This link opens in a new window
People, events, and topics in World History with reference books, academic journals, magazine and newspaper articles, primary sources, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.
U.S. History In Context (Gale) This link opens in a new window
People, events, and topics in United States History with reference books, academic journals, magazine and newspaper articles, primary sources, images, videos, audio files, and links to vetted websites.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Access academic scholarly journal articles, books, and primary sources in the fields of Economics, English, History, Science, Social Science...
Salem Press Online Collection This link opens in a new window
Primary source documents on American and World History. With essays on selected current event topics.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Access hundreds of peer-reviewed scholarly journals from 200+ leading publishers across a large range of subjects within the humanities and social sciences.

Google Scholar

Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a search engine that allows users to search for academic resources and scholarly literature such as journal articles, reports, and theses across a wide range of disciplines and sources.
Google Scholar LibGuide
Learn more about searching in Google Scholar and get instructions for how to link Google Scholar with 'Iolani's library holdings

Primary Sources

Primary sources are original artifacts or documents.

Primary sources also offer accounts from participants or people directly involved in an event.
- Speeches
- Government Documents (Text of laws, treaties, court documents, etc)
- Interviews
- Data (census data, scientific studies, poll results, etc)
- Letters and diaries
- Magazines, newspapers, and journal articles from the time period of the topic . Check with your teacher if the article can be used as a primary source.

Search Tip: Tertiary and Secondary sources can lead to primary sources.

Click here for the National Archives eBooks collection that offers exhibit guides and books incorporating primary sources.

Where to find primary sources?

Book Catalog for Tsuzuki Group Library This link opens in a new window
Search by author, keyword, subject, or title of the book.

Using the Library's digital resources off campus?
Here's the link for usernames & passwords.

Salem Press Online Collection This link opens in a new window
Primary source documents on American and World History. With essays on selected current event topics.
Time Magazine Archive (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Magazine articles from 1923 to 2000 on national and international current events, politics, sports, and entertainment.
New York Times This link opens in a new window
Click on link for instructions to create your personal account and search the Archive 1851 - present.

Library of Congress Digital Collections
Access to digital collections held by the Library of Congress.
Library of Congress Research Guides
Subject guides prepared by the Library of Congress. Browse alphabetically or search for a specific subject.
Chronicling America (Newspapers) | Library of Congress
Digital access to America's historic newspapers. Search and view newspapers from 1789 to 1963.
National Archives
"Explore our nation's history through our documents, photos, and records"
DocsTeach
Hosts thousands of primary source documents by the National Archives.
Hawaii State Archives Digital Collection
"Records date from the monarchy to the current legislative session, and also include the papers of individuals and organizations, photographs, maps, artifacts, rare books, 19th century newspapers."
Hawaii Legislature
Search through bills and resolutions, testimonies, and special sessions.