Research Guides: History: Databases

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic from people who had a direct connection with it.

Primary Sources can include:

Artwork
Autobiographies
Diaries
Government Data
Interviews
Letters
Newspapers
Performances
Photographs
Poetry/Literature/Plays
Speeches
Survey Data/Statistics
Treaties
Videos

Secondary Sources are one step removed from an historical event, person or topic. They can cover the same topic as a primary source but add interpretation and analysis.

Secondary Sources can include:

Analysis or interpretation of data
Biographies
Dissertations/Theses
Documentaries
Most books about a historical person/topic/event
Most scholarly literature
Reviews

Primary & Secondary Sources - UCLA Department of History
This website, published by University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) describes what primary and secondary sources are in the field of history, giving some brief examples an described how each of them are used in a history paper.
The History Research Process: Primary v Secondary Sources - Sam Houston State University
This website, hosted at Sam Huston University, also focuses on Primary and Secondary sources, going a bit more into detail about what primary sources are, providing more examples (including non-traditional examples such as objects). In addition, the article describes how primary sources in history and the sciences are different.

History-Related Databases (Secondary Sources)

History Reference Source (EBSCO)
Features full-text for more than 1,620 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books; cover to cover full-text for more than 150 leading history periodicals; nearly 57,000 historical documents; more than 78,000 biographies of historical figures; more than 113,000 historical photos and maps; and more than 80 hours of historical video.
JSTOR
Provides access to more than 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.
U.S. History (Gale OneFile)
Provides access to scholarly journals and magazines useful to both novice historians as well as advanced academic researchers. Offers balanced coverage of events in U.S. history and scholarly work established in the field.
World History (Gale OneFile)
Provides access to scholarly journals and magazines. Offers balanced coverage of events in world history and scholarly work being established in the field.

Streaming Video Databases

Films on Demand
A comprehensive, instruction-focused streaming video subscription that offers unlimited access to tens of thousands of essential videos for various fields of study. Includes content from the world’s top producers, such as PBS, BBC, A&E, National Geographic, and HBO®.

History-Related Databases (Primary Sources)

Newspapers: The New York Times (ProQuest)
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Coverage from 1851-2020.
Newspapers: The Wall Street Journal (ProQuest)
This historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with online, easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Coverage from 1889-2012.
Historical Statistics of the United States
A compendium of statistics from over 1000 sources includes over 37,000 data series on hundreds of topics including migration, health, crime, poverty and American Indians, and poverty.
Indigenous Peoples of North America (Gale Primary Sources)
An archive of political, social, and cultural history of native peoples from the sixteenth century well into the twentieth century. Covers the history of American Indian tribes and supporting organizations.