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Primary Sources

This LibGuide has been designed to provide information about primary sources.

Anne Bradley

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Anne Bradley
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Office: Library 2504
Phone: 916-278-4350

About this Guide

Primary sources are first-hand or contemporary accounts that serve as original evidence documenting a

time period, event, people, idea, or work. Primary sources are evidence used in research along 

with secondary & tertiary sources to support your hypothesis. Primary sources can be found in

analog, digitized, and born-digital forms. Whereas secondary sources are someone else's interpretation,

primary sources are open to your interpretation (Guidelines for Primary Source Literacy, 2018)

Explore this guide for information on:

  • Finding primary sources on the University Library Website
  • The best subject specific databases for locating primary sources in the humanities and sciences
  • Online archives
  • Understanding archives: Did you know CSUS has its own archive with many interesting historical collections that you can view and examine?
  • Analyzing primary sources
  • Citing primary sources

Using Primary & Secondary Sources in Your Assignments

Created by

Kelli A. Kauffroath, MLIS

Reference and Instruction Librarian

Last Updated: Mar 11, 2024 12:55 PM