The UTL LibrarySearch does not have a way to produce lists of primary sources. However, there are a few strategies to use to fin primary sources in LibrarySearch:
See below for info on how to use these strategies!
Search for your topic keywords in LibrarySearch, then looking at the left-hand menu for filtering your results, click "show more" under Format. Under the format options, look for formats that are likely to contain primary sources:
This screenshot shows some likely primary source format options selected in a search for the topic of eugenics.
Note: You can also refine the publication dates to make sure that the sources are published within your topic time period.
Note: You will have to look at the results and consider them individually according to the context of your topic to determine if they are primary sources for your research.
Use Advanced Search to search for one of the following words (search as subject for the kind of primary source you are looking for) along with your other keywords to find the primary source material you seek:
Note: You can also refine the publication dates to make sure that the sources are published within your topic time period.
Subjects (or Subject headings) are used to identify items on a specific topic and to collocate items on the same topic. The following Subjects can be used to find primary sources:
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Subject Headings |
What Does This Include? |
Example(s) |
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Autographs |
Collections or discussions of the person's autograph or handwriting (H 1110) |
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Biography |
Biographical works focus on the personal aspects of the individual's life, critical works on the individual's professional, intellectual, or artistic achievements (H 1330) |
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Correspondence |
Official correspondence or correspondence involving corporate entities, including heads of state acting in their official capacity, is not covered (H 1480) |
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Description and Travel |
Names of both cities and larger places for descriptive works and accounts of travel, including the history of travel, in those places (H 1530) |
Europe, Eastern -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800 |
|
Diaries |
Registers or records of personal experiences, observations, thoughts, or feelings, kept daily or at frequent intervals (H 1538) |
Scott, F. R (Francis Reginald), 1899-1985 -- Diaries Gay men -- Sexual behavior -- United States -- 21st century -- Diaries |
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Early Works to 1800 |
Early printed works and manuscripts, editions, and post-1800 adaptations and reassembled works (H 1576) |
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Sources |
Collections of writings, such as legal documents, letters, diaries, family papers, etc., compiled for use by students, scholars, etc., in their research on the history of those topics, and for works discussing source materials of all types. |
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Interviews |
Transcripts of what was said during the course of interviews or conversations with one or more persons on one or more occasions, and works about those interviews (H 1678) |
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Manuscripts |
Use for works discussing writings made by hand, typewriter, etc. by or about the person |
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Maps |
Individual maps or collections of maps |
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Notebooks, sketchbooks, etc |
Collections or discussions of the person's notebooks or sketchbooks (H 1110) |
Leonardo, da Vinci, 1452-1519 -- Notebooks, sketchbooks, etc |
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Pamphlets |
Use under 16th, 17th, and 18th century period subdivisions of European and American history and under individual wars, for short, separately published, usually polemical, essays or treatises regarding controversial issues of contemporary interest, especially political or religious matters (H 1095) |
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Personal Narratives |
Names of events and wars for collective or individual eyewitness reports and/or autobiographical accounts of these events and wars (H 1928) |
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) -- Hungary -- Personal narratives Algeria -- History -- Revolution, 1954-1962 -- Personal narratives, Algerian |
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Pictorial Works |
Works consisting primarily of pictures (H 1935) |
If you are looking for sources written by an author who is the subject of your research topic, use Advanced Search and select "author/creator" from the drop-down options, and search for the author's name.
Note: You can also refine the publication dates to make sure that the sources are published within your topic time period.