Primary source material is a key part of historical research. A primary source is a document in which an event is described by its witnesses. Some examples are: diaries, letters, speeches, letters, interviews, newspapers, autobiographies, official records including government documents, pamphlets, photographs, films, art, novels, music, furniture, clothing, buildings, and jewelry.
A secondary source interprets and analyses primary sources. Secondary sources are one step removed from the event. Some examples are: textbooks, journal articles, histories, criticism, commentaries and encyclopedias.
To find books in our collection, search QCAT by author, title, subject headings, or keyword.
To find books by a particular author/person, search QCAT by author:goethe johann wolfgang von
To find books about a particular author/person,
search QCAT by subject heading:
brecht bertolt
mann thomas
To find books on a topic, use a
keyword search if you do not know the correct
subject heading for a topic. Think of the focus (or key) words
that describe your topic:
mann thomas
goethe and faust
picaresque and german
goethe and faust and (creativity or imagination)
Select useful titles and look at the full record
for subject headings.
picaresque and german
goethe and faust and (creativity or imagination)
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 1749-1832
Check heading Criticism and Interpretation for general works
Scroll forward to works on individual titles such as Faust
Example of subject headings by genre and century:
Check heading Criticism and Interpretation for general works
Scroll forward to works on individual titles such as Faust
German poetry -- 19th century -- History and
criticism
Example of subject by movement:
Sturm und Drang movement
Example of subject by history:
Social conflict -- Germany -- History
To find
bibliographies on a topic, look for the
subdivision bibliography following a subject heading:
Germany--Social
conditions--Bibliography
To find primary sources in the library, look for
the subdivision sources following a subject heading.
Germany--History--1933-1945--Sources
Last Updated: 13 August 2009
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