1. FIND THE RIGHT REFERENCE SOURCE
A good first step in finding primary materials is to look at the resources in the library's reference collection. These sources will give you a good overview of the topic, will outline the basic historical context and will help you identify key participants, dates and publications associated with your topic.
Ask a librarian or professor to suggest reference sources or textbooks, such as specialized encyclopedias , chronologies or factbooks which will give you an historical overview of a topic or event and identify the participants. If you have specific people in mind already, biographical dictionaries and encyclopedias will give you background information and bibliographies of primary and secondary sources.
Books and historical journal articles (especially those with extensive bibliographies) and other secondary sources can give you background information and clues as to the participants involved and source materials which might be available.
Specialized bibliographies and guides to research often give both an introductory overview of how to go about researching a particular topic as well as list specific primary and secondary sources.
Examples of specialized encyclopedias, chronologies and handbooks:¥ Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups
¥ Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution
¥ Encyclopedia of Asian History
¥ Encyclopedia of the Holocaust
Examples of biographical sources:
¥ Current Biography (1940-present)
¥ Dictionary of American Biography
Examples of bibliographies and guides to research:
¥ A Guide to Sources of British Military History
¥ Modern China: 1840-1972: An Introduction to Sources and Research Aids
