There are many ways to search for primary sources. Here are a few tips from the NCC Librarians:
Source Type/Document Type:
One thing you can do is select the source type or document type. If you're looking for a documentary, you can select video as source type. If you're looking for something like an interview with a politician, you can select interview as a document type.
Dates:
You can also make changes to the date to find information from that period. If you want primary sources from September 11, and want media coverage from the days after, you could use the keyword "September 11 terrorist attacks" then select 2001-2002 as your dates. Lastly if you want news articles you can change the source type.
Authors:
If you're looking for something that is a primary source by a specific person, you would change the author and add that with your keywords. Let's say you want to find an article by the inventor of a theory. You would search that theory along with the creator as author.
There are many places to find primary sources through the NCC Library databases. Please see below for some of the best options!
What is the quickest way to search NCC Library databases??
EBSCO Discovery is the answer! NCC Library's EBSCO Discovery service will allow you to search all of the library's online databases and catalog at the same time. Using EBSCO Discovery, your search results will include, books eBooks, journal articles, streaming video, magazines, newspapers and more!
**Quick tip: Remember to select the full-text limiter when searching EBSCO Discovery.
Browse and search the NCC Library databases for primary sources on your topic:
Please see below for examples from ProQuest, JSTOR and Gale In Context: U.S. & World History.
ProQuest Central is one of the largest databases available through the NCC Libraries. The screenshot below provides some tips on finding primary sources through the Advanced Search option!
JSTOR is another excellent NCC Library database to find primary sources. JSTOR is a scholarly journal archive that goes back into the 19th century and beyond in some cases. Take a look below for some quick tips on finding primary sources on historical topics!
We can use a date range to search for primary sources on Nixon's War on Drugs from the 1970s.
Gale In Context: U.S. History & World History are NCC Library databases that both include excellent primary source materials for historical research. Take a look below!
