When conducting research you may also be asked to identify whether an information resource is a Primary or Secondary Source of information.Typically, this might occur in History classes or courses which utilize various historical texts or subjects. Below is a brief overview of what constitutes a primary resource and a secondary resource.
| Primary Sources |
|
An Original work |
| (This source requires you to interpret the work) |
|
| Secondary Sources |
|
Reference to an original work |
| (This is a source where another person interprets the work for you) |
|
| *Tip": Dissertations, journal articles and books may be primary sources if the work is original. |
Still not certain? These links also describe the difference between primary and secondary sources.
To find primary sources in the GCC Library databases, try these options:
Limit your search to a specific date span 
Primary Sources in History
Historic publications. Includes 19th century U.S. Newspapers (1800-1899) and Times Digital Archives (London( (1785-2011)
Salem History
Not about the witch trials! Salem History provides encyclopedic information and primary source documents from various periods in American History. Check out the Defining Documents series within this database for primary documents organized by time period.
Slavery and Anti-Slavery Archive
Publication Range: 1500 - 1984
Debates over Slavery and Abolition, Slave Trade in the Atlantic World, The Institution of Slavery, and Emancipation.
Women's Magazine Archive
Publication Range: 1886 - 2005
Archive of leading women's interest magazines, dating from the 19th century through to the 21st including Cosmopolitan (1886), Women's Day (1937), Seventeen (1944), Essence (1970) and WIN News (1975) Archive begins 1885.
American Periodicals Series
Publication Range: 1740 - 1940
HISTORIC PUBLICATIONS: published between 1740 and 1940, includes special interest and general magazines, etc.
All guides are available under the CC-BY-NC-SA license.
