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2SLGBTQ+ Studies

Primary Sources

A primary source can mean different things depending on the discipline or how one uses the source. However, usually a primary source is the direct, first-hand account or object being studied. Examples include:

  • Diaries
  • Letters
  • Speeches
  • Interviews
  • Photographs
  • Newspapers
  • Maps
  • Video and audio recordings
  • Art
  • Film or Literature

In contrast, a secondary source would be something that interprets, analyses, or comments on primary sources. Examples include:

  • Journal articles
  • Essays
  • Dissertations
  • Textbooks
  • Scholarly books
  • Documentary films

Search Tips

Primary sources are often collected together and published in book format. In the library's Advanced Search, try combining your topic keywords with one of these terms:

  • diary OR diaries
  • letters
  • "first person"
  • memoir
  • oral histories
  • interviews
  • autobiograph?
  • speeches

For example: LGBT AND letters

Tip: Use quotation marks to search for a phrase (ex. "gender queer"). Use a question mark to truncate a term to search for words with the same stem (ex. Biograph? retrieves Biography, Biographies, Biographical, etc.). 

To learn more search tricks, go to Search Strategies.

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Databases

The following databases may provide some primary sources. Use keywords to search for your topic.

Books