Designed by reference librarians, this guide will help you find reference, primary and secondary resources for your presidential election project.
To find sources on presidential elections, try searching with the following Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Presidents United States Election
These are just a few examples of subject headings that you can find in the library catalog. You should look for subject headings appopriate to your specific topic.
Reference Sources —An excellent entry point for research, these sources usually provide a concise treatment of a particular subject rather than a detailed analysis. Reference sources often provide summaries, background, overviews, timelines, and definitions of terms. Examples: dictionaries and encyclopedias.
The following two definitions are taken from University of California-Santa Cruz's library website:
Primary Sources —"Often referred to as the raw material of history, primary source documents are original, contemporary accounts written by someone who experienced or witnessed the events of that time firsthand. Examples of primary sources include diaries, letters, memoirs, journals, speeches, manuscripts, interviews and other such unpublished works. They may also include published pieces such as newspaper or magazine articles (as long as they are written soon after the fact and not as historical accounts), photographs, audio or video recordings, research reports in the natural or social sciences, or original literary or theatrical works."
Secondary Sources —"The function of these is to interpret primary sources, and so can be described as at least one step removed from the event or phenomenon under review. Secondary source materials, then, interpret, assign value to, conjecture upon, and draw conclusions about the events reported in primary sources. These are usually in the form of published works such as journal articles or books, but may include radio or television documentaries, or conference proceedings."
Source: University of California Santa Cruz University Library. "Distinguish Between Primary and Secondary Sources." Retrieved from http://guides.library.ucsc.edu/primarysecondary
