Primary and secondary sources are different types of information that you can use in your research.  The type of resources you will need for your projects or research papers will depend on the type of class or research that is required. Ask a professor if you have questions regarding the use of a specific source. 

Primary sources are materials created at the time or specific era or event that is being researched or studied. These sources are directly related to a subject or topic by time or by a person's or material's direct involvement from the era. A primary source provides a first-hand account about a person or an event because they were written or made in the time period they are from, but can also include later recollections from a participant involved in an event (i.e. autobiographies, interviews, oral histories). The Library of Congress and National Archives provide many digitized versions of primary sources related to some of the examples found below. You may also find a few primary sources as well in the Local History room of the Library.* 

EXAMPLES: 

• Historic Objects                                                            •    Photographs   
• Laws or Statutes                                                          •    Original Empirical Research                                            
• Raw Data                                                                     •    Autobiographies        
• Letters/Diaries/Original Correspondence                     •    Music from the era
• Newspapers from the era                                             •   Manuscript Collections
• Government Records                                                   •   Original Film Footage
• Original Artwork from the era                                       •   Interviews/Oral Histories                          
• Speeches                                                                     •  Archives

*Note: To use the Local History room, please check for available hours and appointment times. 

HELPFUL WEBSITES:

Below are some links to a few websites students may find useful in locating primary sources. 

• Chronicling America

  This site, which is part of the Library of Congress, allows you to search and view newspaper pages from 1789-1963 and find information about American newspapers published between those dates.

• Library of Congress Digital Collections

  The Library of Congress Digital Collections contains photographs, letters, diary entries, government documents, and other primary sources for users to browse.

• National Archives

  The National Archives allows public access to government and historical documents.

• Our Documents

  View the actual image and transcript of 100 milestone documents that chronicles U.S. history from 1776-1965.

Secondary sources provide useful and important background information about a topic. These sources are not written or made in the time period they are describing. Secondary sources can include books or articles published by an author or writer who makes an interpretation about an event or topic based upon other primary sources. Secondary sources include most books, encyclopedias, documentaries, websites, and academic journals. The works cited pages, footnotes, and bibliographies of secondary sources can lead you to primary sources as well. You can use the library catalog, databases, and reference books to find secondary sources. Books found in the catalog that you can check out are located downstairs in the STACKS. Reference books are located upstairs and cannot be checked out. 

EXAMPLES:

• Academic Journals/Articles                                  •  Books about the topic
• Biographies                                                          •  Reviews
• Textbooks                                                             •  Criticism
• Websites                                                               •  Documentaries
• Bibliographies                                                       •  Abstracts 
• Interviews with Scholars or Experts                      •  Articles about the topic
• Encyclopedias*                                                     •  Reference Books*

*Note: Reference books and encyclopedias can refer you back to primary sources. Reference books and encyclopedias can also be considered tertiary sources. Please refer to your professor on whether or not you can use these sources in your research. 

HELPFUL WEBSITES:

Below are some links to a few websites students may find useful in locating secondary sources outside of the library catalog and databases. 

• Biography

  Over 7,000 biographies and daily features that highlight newsworthy stories of people from all walks of life.

• Library Databases

  Link to the Victor Valley College Library databases. VVC has 70 different databases for students to utilize for their research, including e-books, academic journals, and newspaper articles.

• Encyclopedia.com

  Contains more than 100 sources, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses with facts, definitions, biographies, synonyms, pronunciation keys, word origins, and abbreviations.

• Internet Archive: eBooks & Text

  The Internet Archive and Open Library offers over 8,000,000 fully accessible public domain eBooks from libraries worldwide.

​Tertiary sources compile information from primary and secondary sources. These are sources that index, abstract, organize or compile other sources together. Some sources can be considered both secondary and/or tertiary (e.g. encyclopedias, some dictionaries, textbooks, bibliographies). A source like one of the listed examples is considered tertiary instead of secondary when the main purpose of the source is to list, summarize, or reuse ideas/information instead of using primary sources and providing detailed background information to make an interpretation about an event/person/topic.

EXAMPLES:

• Bibliographies       
• Abstracts         
• Almanacs   
• Dictionaries*   
• Handbooks  
• Fact Books     
• Indexes
• Encyclopedias*
• Directories 
• Chronologies 
• Textbooks* 
• Manuals

*Note: Can be considered secondary sources, depending upon the information presented in these sources. Ask your professor if you are allowed to use these sources in your research.