Primary Sources
Types of Primary Sources:
Photographs
Video recordings
Documentary or "live footage"
TV shows, radio broadcasts, theater clips
Interviews
Speeches
Letters
Court Cases
Government Documents
Legislation / Policies
Music soundbites or lyrics
Literature excerpts
Combine type with keywords related to your topic:
Name of a person directly involved (ex. Ronald Reagan)
Name of a group (ex. Supreme Court)
Events (Watergate, Hurricane Katrina)
Acts or legislation (ex. Patriot Act)
Titles (ex. The Wonder Years, Clueless)
Option #1: Stick to the databases to find primary sources
Option #1: Stick to the databases to find primary sources
Once you search for your topic in ABC-CLIO...
Once you search for your topic in ABC-CLIO...
Click on FILTERS. Then select the types of sources you want under Media and/or Documents. You may want to check the following:
Photos & Illustrations
Videos
Visuals
Speeches
Political, Government and Court Documents
Cultural Documents
Letters & Narratives
Facts on File American History Online makes it super easy...
Facts on File American History Online makes it super easy...
After searching for your topic, just click on Primary Sources!
📺Option #2: Go to YouTube or Google! 💻
📺Option #2: Go to YouTube or Google! 💻
How to cite your sources:
How to cite your sources:
Remember to use the following format for sources without a citation!
For written sources (print interviews, court documents, etc)
Author/Organization. "Article Title." Source Title. Date Updated, URL. Date of Access.
YOUTUBE CITATION FORMAT:
Creator Last Name, First name. "Title of video." Youtube, uploaded by __________, date published, URL. Date accessed.
No last name? Use the organization that made the video.
HINT: For speeches/ interviews, the "creator" is the person giving the speech or being interviewed (ex. video of JFK giving a speech = Kennedy, John F.)
"Uploaded by": the organization that posted the video to YouTube. (ex. The John F. Kennedy Library)
Date published = the day of the event/speech/interview etc.
Date accessed = the date YOU are watching it
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