What is a Primary Source?

• Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation.
• They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced or witnessed the events or conditions being documented.
• They can be in many different formats, including letters, interviews, diaries, memoirs, oral histories, newspapers, government documents, institutional records, maps, films, photographs, data/statistics, and much more.

Things to keep in mind when looking for primary sources:

• Start with what you already have—draw from course materials and secondary sources to identify citations to primary sources, key words, and historical figures. 
• There isn’t going to be only one place to search for them.
• Search tools and databases (if you use them) will be unique, and will take time and experimentation to use effectively.
• Consider language in your search for primary sources (i.e. historical or outdated language, place name changes, and untranslated sources).
• Not everyone’s primary sources were collected—the historical record is incomplete and leaves out many voices.
• Working with primary sources related to colonized or other marginalized peoples may be very upsetting, please take care. 
• Ask for help! Primary sources can be very challenging to find, and U of T Librarians are here to help you in your search.

How to Find Additional Primary sources in translation in LibrarySearch

• Use LibrarySearch to find primary sources - select catalogue in advance search,
• Combine keywords for your topic with types of primary sources (ex.letters, maps, newspapers),
• Filter to English or French language,
• Try the "genre" filters.

Recommended Resources

Why should you use secondary sources with primary sources?

• Secondary sources complement primary sources: a secondary source can bring clarification and deeper understanding to a primary source.

• A historian who has expertise in a specific time period can provide contextual information through a secondary source that allows a student to maximize their appreciation of the primary source's value.
• If you are researching a subject that you do not know a lot about, doing background reading in a secondary source can introduce you to some of the primary sources that are relevant to the subject area.

Use the Library website to find journal articles 

• In Library Search you can filter your search to include only articles. 
• On the left-hand side of the results, there are filter options. For articles, select "articles" and or "peer reviewed articles" under "Filter your results". Then click Apply Filter. 

Use the Library website to find books

• In the library homepage search box, type in the keywords relevant to your research topic. When searching for books, remember to use simple, broad keywords.
• From the list of results, underneath Filter your results on the left sidebar select "Books" under Format and select Apply Filter when prompted to see the the library catalogue search results.

Narrow down your list of books

• You can refine your search with various filters on the left sidebar, such as Library, Subject, Publication Date, and Language.
• For ebooks, you can also click on the Online checkbox at the top of the page underneath show only

Suggested Secondary Sources

• Ask a Librarian chat : We can help you find sources about a topic, locate a specific book or article, and use library research tools effectively.

• Email

• Book a research consultation

This guide is currently maintained by Jesse Carliner. Please send any suggestions, comments, and reports of broken links to jesse.carliner@utoronto.ca 

• Winter 2025 update: Johanna Hill