Finding Primary Sources through UNCG Libraries
College Avenue entrance of UNCG Libraries, Jackson Library
UNCG University Libraries provides access to hundreds of databases, some of which are specifically oriented towards helping you find primary sources. Databases available through academic libraries, like UNCG University Libraries, are online searchable collections of information, often based on a specific subject or topic. If you click the database list above, you will find the complete list of databases through UNCG University Libraries. From there, you can narrow down the databases by subject or database type. Many of the databases that can be used to find primary sources are listed under “Archival” in the “All Database Types” drop-down menu.
The library also has a research guide dedicated to helping you find primary sources, including links to databases and information on how to search for primary sources in book format using the library’s catalog. A list of Research Guides by Subject is also available to help you find different resources for finding primary sources related to research questions in a specific course or discipline. Liaison librarians can also help you find primary sources.
Research Tip #1: Use quotation marks when searching for a specific phrase or term with multiple words when researching in the catalog, in databases, or online. Using quotation marks ensures the words are searched together in that order. For example, if you were searching for shell shock, a psychological condition experienced by many World War I soldiers, and entered it into a database search bar without quotation marks, you may get results about researchers being shocked to find a rare sea shell or some other unrelated combination of the words shell and shock. . However, if you search “shell shock” each result you get will contain that exact phrase
Research Tip #2: Many databases let you narrow down results by the year a source was published. If you were looking for medical articles on shell shock from, and a few years after, the First World War you could limit your results to be between 1914-1925. Limiting your results to be the time period you are searching for ensures the results you get will be primary sources.
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