GATHERING SOURCES
Gathering Sources
You know the background and context to your topic from the last section on Background & Context. Now let's gather some specific types of research sources.
There are many types of sources that will inform your History Day research and many places to look for those sources. Understanding the different types of information available and thinking strategically about which will be helpful for your research is an important step.
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are typically written after the time period or event in question and by a person who was not there.
There are several types of secondary sources:
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Magazine articles: Often summarize topics of interest to a broad audience and may provide updates over time.
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Scholarly articles: Often delve into specific aspects of a topic of interest to a narrow audience and may provide historical analysis of that topic.
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Books: Provide historical analysis of a topic and often explore multiple aspects of a topic.
You can find secondary sources in library databases. The library database to use depends on what you're looking for.
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Find magazine articles in Student Resources in Context and Explora Teens (try the search boxes below).
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Find more scholarly articles in Academic Search Premier (try the search box below).
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Learn more about finding books in the Library Books section below.
Primary Sources
Primary sources provide direct insight into historical topics. They are created by people directly involved in an historic event. These might include letters, postcards, legal documents, government publications, images, and newspaper articles.
You can find primary sources in library databases. The following databases are good places to look for primary sources online:
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Student Resources in Context: After running a search, look for Primary Sources in your results.
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Explora Teens: Look for Primary Source Documents under Source Types after running a search.
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Minnesota Reflections: Find photos, maps, journals, letters, and more related to Minnesota history.
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Digital Public Library of America: Find primary sources on any topic from across the country.
Check with your teacher or librarian for additional resources for primary sources.
Library Books
Your local library may have secondary sources like books as well as primary source materials on your topic. Make sure to check there first.
If visiting the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus is a possibility, Wilson Library has many resources for History Day. Use the University of Minnesota Library Catalog called MNCAT Discovery to search for books and other items at Wilson Library before your visit.
Try this tutorial to learn more about and practice searching MNCAT Disovery. To gain a better understanding of how to conduct History Day research at Wilson Library check out the video History Day Research Help.
Another place to find library materials is the MnLINK Gateway. MnLINK lets you search for books owned by libraries across the state, including the University of Minnesota Libraries. If you find an item you'd like, you can request that it be sent to your local public library.
You Try!
Can you find at least one of each of the following on your topic? Record what you find in your History Day Research Notes.
Newspaper article
Start here: Student Resources In Context or Explora Teens
Magazine article
Start here: Student Resources in Context
Scholarly article
Start here: Academic Search Premier
Primary source
Start here: Student Resources in Context or Explora Teens
Library book
Start here: Your library or MnLINK
Community resource
Start here: Minnesota historical societies
Your topic may be covered by one or two of these kinds of sources rather than all of them. That's okay - making that discovery is part of the research process.
What's Next?
Now that you know where to look for sources and the different kinds of sources you might find, the next step is to make sure you keep track of what you find.