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MEDVL 1101 Life and Dying in the Middle Ages (Spring 2023)

A guide to library research

Definitions

What makes a source
primary?

Depends on the topic;
it can be complicated. 

Talk specifics with faculty.

Very basic, simplistic definition:
What is a primary source?

Useful Tips

Browse footnotes and bibliographies of books, encyclopedias, and articles for information about primary sources. 

Search the Library Catalog for primary sources--both unpublished manuscripts and modern editions in print and online, sometimes in translation, of original primary medieval sources. Use the guided keyword search with terms like:

sources
diaries
personal narrative
interview
letters