COMMENTS

  1. Biographical Sources

    Over 3.6 million short biographical entries for individuals who lived across the world from ancient times to the present. Includes full text images of the original sources, usually older biographical dictionaries. Especially valuable for locating information on hard-to-find individuals from the past. Subject specific sources.

  2. Biographical Resources: A Research Guide: Introduction

    Introduction. We purchase access to new online versions of major biographical reference sources as they become available. Many important biographical resources are available in print and on microfilm. This guide combines online titles with the selected microform and print biography titles in the Olin and Africana reference collections.

  3. Biographical sources

    American National Biography Online A standard source for U.S. historical biography with over 17,000 individual entries. The ANB Online is fully searchable and includes illustrations, cross-references, and links to external web sites. African-American Biographical Database Includes biographies of thousands of African Americans from 1790-1950.

  4. Types of Sources Explained

    Revised on May 31, 2023. Throughout the research process, you'll likely use various types of sources. The source types commonly used in academic writing include: Academic journals. Books. Websites. Newspapers. Encyclopedias. The type of source you look for will depend on the stage you are at in the writing process.

  5. Biography Databases, Magazines & Other Biographical Resources

    Biography . Dive into the world of biography, which is an account of another person's life drawn from available evidence. This evidence might include correspondence, diaries, published articles, recordings, archives, or even the author's personal recollection of the subject of the biographical record. ... An easy-to-use source for ...

  6. What is a Primary Source?

    Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later. Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of the format available. (Handwritten notes could be published; the published book might be ...

  7. Types of Sources and Where to Find Them: Primary Sources

    These sources serve as the raw material that you'll analyze and synthesize in order to answer your research question, and they will form key pieces of evidence in your paper's argument. Secondary sources, in contrast, provide an interpretation of the past based on primary sources. This newspaper article is an example of a primary source.

  8. Sources of History

    Sources are our way of peering into the past, but the various kinds all present their own benefits and difficulties. The first distinction to make is between primary and secondary sources. A primary source is first-hand material that stems (roughly) from the time period that one wants to examine, whereas a secondary source is an additional step ...

  9. Research Guides: Library Research Guide for History: Biography

    Biography and Genealogy Master Index (BGMI) indexes thousands of English-language biographical dictionaries and other compendia. Not full text; one must do HOLLIS searches for retrieved sources. American National Biography is the standard American source for biographies of major figures. Can do searches of occupations and limit by date.

  10. Biographical Sources

    Each entry contains a biographical sketch, an outline of major works and themes, a summary of critical reception, and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. Contemporary Native American Authors: a Biographical Dictionary. by Kay Juricek, Kelly J. Morgan. Call Number: Olin Reference PS153 I52 J87x 1997.

  11. How to Write a Biography: 6 Tips for Writing Biographical Texts

    See why leading organizations rely on MasterClass for learning & development. Biographies are how we learn information about another human being's life. Whether you want to start writing a biography about a famous person, historical figure, or an influential family member, it's important to know all the elements that make a biography worth ...

  12. Primary vs. Secondary Sources

    Secondary sources are interpretations and analyses based on primary sources. For example, an autobiography is a primary source while a biography is a secondary source. Typical secondary sources include: Scholarly Journal Articles. Use these and books exclusively for writing Literature Reviews. Magazines. Reports. Encyclopedias. Handbooks ...

  13. Primary and Secondary Sources in the Humanities and Social Sciences

    A secondary source contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. The most important feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources. Common examples of a secondary source are: Biographies. Indexes, Abstracts, Bibliographies (used to locate a secondary source)

  14. Research Guides: Primary Sources: What is a Primary Source

    In the Sciences (biology, ecology, chemistry), primary source documents focus on original research, ideas, or findings published in academic journals. These articles mark the first publication of such research; and they detail the researcher's methodology and results. Plant or mineral samples and other artifacts are primary sources as well.

  15. Is a Biography a Primary Source? Details Every Author Should Know

    A biography is a third-person account of another person's life written by a biographer whose name appears on the cover. The subject of the biography can be living or deceased and the work can be authorized or unauthorized. For these reasons, biographies are classified as secondary sources. Related: Biography vs Memoir

  16. Types of Sources

    They may also include items created after the events occurred, but that recount them such as autobiographies and oral histories. Types of Primary Sources. Original Documents. Creative Works. Relics and Artifacts. Diaries. Art works. Pottery. Speeches.

  17. Biographical Resources for the Sciences: Home

    a list of paper sources for science biography by field; a list of resources on Nobel Prize Laureates; a list of sources for geographically-specialized entries; links, citations, and tips for finding resources related to science biography ... Library Shelving Facility QH31 B17 R58X For collective science biography enter a keyword search such as ...

  18. Biographical Sources

    Princeton University Library One Washington Road Princeton, NJ 08544-2098 USA (609) 258-1470

  19. Primary vs. Secondary Sources

    Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. Primary research gives you direct access to the subject of your research. Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews ...

  20. Research Guides: History: Primary vs. Secondary Sources

    A primary source is an original material created during the time under study. Primary sources can be original documents, creative works, published materials of the times, institutional and government documents or relics and artifacts. Secondary sources put primary sources in context. They comment, summarize, interpret or analyze information ...

  21. Biography

    ALIC Resources. Biography and Genealogy Master Index Available in the Archives Library Information Center. BGMI contains over 20 million biographical citations on over 6 million individuals. African American Biographical Database Available in the Archives Library Information Center. The AABD provides profiles and full-text sketches of African Americans from various sources, many rare, from the ...

  22. Walker Library: Biographical Sources: Websites with Biographies

    Biographical Sources: Websites with Biographies. Home; Books; Autobiography; Websites with Biographies; African Americans. ... Spotlight Biography is the Smithsonian's virtual center-stage for famous and not-so-famous American artists and athletes, soldiers and scientists, inventors and social reformers, and other interesting people ...

  23. Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons

    Manning naming dispute, 16 October 2013: "The biographies of living persons policy applies to all references to living persons throughout Wikipedia, including the titles of articles and pages and all other portions of any page." ^ Please note that exceptional claims require exceptional sources.

  24. Primary source

    Diplomatic sources include charters and other legal documents which usually follow a set format. Social documents are records created by organizations, such as registers of births and tax records. In historiography, when the study of history is subject to historical scrutiny, a secondary source becomes a primary source. For a biography of a ...

  25. Primary & Secondary Sources

    An article in a newspaper that reports on a scientific discovery or a book that analyzes a writer's work is a secondary source. (p.273) Secondary sources are works that analyze, interpret, and synthesize information from a combination of primary sources and other secondary sources. Secondary sources can sometimes also be primary sources.