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Primary Sources: Database Tips: Home

This guide highlights primary source databases and their features.

DePauw Archives Search

Search our own primary sources at the DePauw University Archives here or come see us on the second floor of Roy!

Need More Help?

Need more help finding primary sources? One of our librarians created an amazing libguide with tips on finding primary sources and tons of helpful links. Check it out here or come visit us at the library!

Welcome to the Primary Sources Databases!

Need a primary source for your next research paper or lit. review? Finding these sources can be tricky, but these databases give you access to hundreds of news articles and other documents from the past. Some of these tools (like the New York Times) provide articles to keep you up-to-date with current topics, while others provide articles from other historical periods. Some databases (like GenderWatch and Ethnic NewsWatch) also organize these articles into specific topics so you can easily find the article you need. 

Want some more help with primary sources? Be sure to check out our Libguide to find tons more websites, books, and other kinds of primary sources, as well as tips on using them in your paper. 

Tips and Tricks for Searching these Databases

  • If you're using a Readex database (it should say "Readex" in the top left corner), you can get started on your search by typing your topic into the search bar or browsing by date, newspaper title, places, type of article, and language.
  • If you want to search multiple Readex databases at once, you can click the red link at the top of the page to search all the America's Historical Newspaper sites.
  • You can also organize your search results by date, the title of the article, type of article, and the location where it was published. 
  • Once you find the article you want to check out, you can also zoom or rotate the article, and search the article for certain words to read it easily.
  • Want to come back to an article later? Once you find the articles you need, you can use the links on the top right to download the article, email it to yourself, or bookmark it if you make an account.
  • You can also download the entire newspaper issue the article came from by clicking on the "Download Issue" link on the top left.
  • If you're using a Proquest database, you can also save your search by emailing it to yourself or exporting it to another program like Google drive or Microsoft.

Need some help citing your primary source? You can check out our citation guide here, or our primary source guide here. If you need more help, come visit a librarian!