ENGL-260 Introduction to Literary Studies (Bergren)

Tip: Think of JSTOR in this type of search if you are looking for articles written around the turn of the century, as these can be primary sources. For example: an article from a medical journal in the early 1900s that talks about hysteria or mental illness.

• Primary sources provide direct evidence concerning a topic being investigated and are associated with the time period in which they were created. They can be textual or audiovisual, published or unpublished. They are produced by participants in a specific event or time period, or witnesses to an event or period in history.  The event or experience may have happened centuries ago or seconds ago. Examples are letters, diaries, official government records, artifacts, contemporary newspaper articles, interviews, original photographs, memoirs and autobiographies

Searching TIP: Many primary sources can be found within the bibliographies and notes in secondary sources.

If you are unsure about a source, check with your Professor Bergren or myself to determine whether it can be considered primary or secondary.