Home - FYS 10 - Power of Tradition, Forces of Change - Research Guides at Drake University

Primary Sources at Cowles

Cowles Library subscribes to a number of useful primary source collections (and we even have some of our own!)

Artemis Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
Combines Gale databases into one searchable environment. Also provides features such as term clusters, term frequency and popularity, detailed subject indexing, annotation and tagging features, along with an easier and more dynamic search.

Drake Heritage Collections
Photographs, articles, oral histories and more, digitized to preserve stories of Drake's history.

Chicago Tribune (Proquest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window Digital version of the Chicago Tribune (1849-1989).
Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639 - 1800 (Readex) This link opens in a new window Searchable books, pamphlets, broadsides and other documents allow you to explore America's distant and not so distant past.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window Every significant English-language and foreign-language title printed in Great Britain during the eighteenth century, along with thousands of important works from the Americas.
Illustrated Civil War Newspapers and Magazines This link opens in a new window
Collection of historical documents allows you to browse and search HarpWeek's collection of 19th century journals.
Making of the Modern World, 1450-1914 This link opens in a new window
Archive of primary sources that track the development of the modern, western world through the lens of trade and wealth from 1450-1914.
Newspaper Source Plus This link opens in a new window
Newspapers, television and radio news transcripts.
New York Times (Proquest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Full-text including scanned digital images of the New York Times, 1851-2009
Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
These archives explore the ‘long’ nineteenth century’s diplomatic interactions, evolving education system, religious reform and social revolutions, and more, all while capturing the human experience through the unique intersections of gender, race, and socio-economic status.
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
This archive serves as a true portrait of the U.S. nation through the 19th century and contains primary source newspaper content. Every aspect of society and every region of the nation is found in the archive - rural & urban, large cities & small town, coast to coast & beyond. Includes major newspapers as well as those published by African Americans, Native Americans, women's rights groups, labor groups, the Confederacy, and other groups
Dickens Letters This link opens in a new window
The Letters of Charles Dickens, (1820-1870) 2nd edition.

What are Primary Sources?

What are Primary Sources? Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence about a topic or question under investigation.

They are typically created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Primary sources are often created at the time the events or conditions are occurring, but they can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

What are they?

	Primary Source	Secondary Source
Humanities	Original, first-hand account of an event or time period Original, creative writing or works of art Usually written or created during or close to the event or time period Not interpretive	Analyzes and interprets primary sources Second-hand account of an historical event Interprets creative work
Sciences	Report of scientific discoveries Results of experiments Results of clinical trials Social and political science research results Factual, not interpretive	Analyzes and interprets research results Analyzes and interprets scientific discoveries

Examples

	Primary Sources	Secondary Sources
Humanities	Diaries, journals, and letters Newspaper and magazine articles (factual accounts) Government records (census, marriage, military) Photographs, maps, postcards, posters Recorded or transcribed speeches Interviews with participants or witnesses (e.g., The Civil Rights Movement) Interviews with people who lived during a particular time (e.g., genocide in Rwanda) Songs, plays, novels, stories Paintings, drawings, and sculptures	Literary criticism Biographies Books and articles presenting the research of others
Sciences	Published results of research studies Published results of scientific experiments Published results of clinical trials Proceedings of conferences and meetings	Publications about the significance of research or experiments Analysis of a clinical trial Review of the results of several experiments or trials

Specific Examples

	Primary Source	Secondary Source
Literature	“Song of Myself” (Poem)	Journal article about the poem’s historical importance
Psychology	Results of clinical trial to treat ADD by modifying diet	Book about ways to treat childhood ADD without drugs
Government	U.S. Census Statistics	Book about suburban population changes in U.S.
History	Text of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech	Journal article about King's role in the Civil Rights Movement
Art	Ding Darling cartoons	Magazine article about political cartoonists of the 20th century
Sociology	Diary of Anne Frank	Book contrasting personal accounts of the German occupation

Librarian

Andrew Welch

(he/him)

Email Me

Contact:

Cowles Library
Office 218

515-271-2862

Subjects: English & Literature, Theatre Arts

Citations

Style Guides & Citation Manuals for Scholarly Writing
Cowles Library web page that identifies where to find online and print versions of citation manuals and style guides.

MLA Citation Examples
Examples of in-text and Works Cited MLA formats.

Cowles Library

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