Any document, image, or artifact created at the time of the topic being researched is a primary source. Examples include: eyewitness accounts, autobiographies and memoirs, diaries, letters, speeches, reports, newspapers, household and day-to-day objects, clothing, works of art, architecture, and photographs.
Please note: primary source documents are a reflection of the time and culture in which they were created and may contain language or images that are considered offensive today.
Important notes for searching for primary sources in news / periodical databases:
These databases also contain primary source material:
REMEMBER: Print Reference books are for use IN THE LIBRARY ONLY.
To cite a Primary Source, first choose the NoodleTools option that best describes where you found it:
Website = a document found on the Websites page of the course guide, found through a web directory like SweetSearch, or a search engine such as Google.
Print or In Hand = a document found in a book in the library. For example: in a reference book or a secondary source.
Next, determine what kind of primary source you are citing: