LibGuides: HMW9: Where to Find Tertiary, Secondary, and Primary Sources

What are 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
General 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.
World History In Context (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Select Reference for articles from subject encyclopedias.

Encyclopedia of World Biography 2nd ed. (Gale)
eBook
Notable individuals from all time periods who have made significant contributions to human culture.

What are 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.

EBSCO eBook Collection This link opens in a new window
Search the full collection of over 60,000 eBooks from all EBSCO databases.
Ebook Central (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
Access over 100,000 authoritative and copyrighted academic level electronic books.
MasterFILE Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Full-text of 2,400+ magazines on a wide range of subject areas.
World History In Context (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Select Magazines, News, or Academic Journals.
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...

What are 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
Include "sources" or "documents" in the search.

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 topics includes overviews of documents.
Time Magazine Archive (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Search for articles from 1923 to 2000.Switch SORTING from RELEVANCE to DATE OLDEST.

The New York Times Archive
Search for articles from 1851 to the present.

World History In Context (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Select Primary Sources
MasterFILE Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Articles from magazines including publications from the past (Saturday Evening Post)Switch SORTING from RELEVANCE to DATE OLDEST.

HMW Primary Source Websites

Alpha History
Select the historical period and then documents for a list of primary source documents.
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Provides summaries, documents, images, maps, timelines, and biographical profiles for the historical periods: The American Revolution -- The French Revolution -- World War I -- The Russian Revolution -- the Weimar Republic -- Nazi Germany -- The Holocaust -- The Cold War -- The Chinese Revolution -- The Vietnam War -- Northern Ireland and the Troubles.
Asia for Educators | Columbia University
Select China, Japan, Korea or Vietnam to view a list of primary source selections for that country.
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Primary sources with DBQs for China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. An initiative of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
From Fordham University, this Sourcebook covers Reformation to 21st Century.

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