1. A Reference Road Map for History Fair Research

2. Secondary Sources Look here for background information only! The authors of secondary sources interpret primary source material for you. Here are some of the more popular secondary sources for research:

3. REFERENCE BOOKS Encylopedias, special history dictionaries, and historical atlases. In the NISD Database check out: Professional Federated Search Which will search 48 databases all at once! When I searched for “Michael Phelps” I got 671 hits!!!

4. Primary Sources Bibliographies located in general works (secondary sources) are a great place to find primary sources. Diaries or letters Manuscripts/paper collections Songs or hymns Photographs Artifacts—Tools--Machinery Court Proceedings

5. More Primary Sources Government records Census Data Newspapers—from the time period Magazines—from the time period Oral history interviews

6. How to locate Primary Source Material: If you’ve chose a topic that took place within the last 60 years, try to contact someone who participated in it or knows someone who did. (Remember email—you can conduct a virtual interview) Contact public libraries, local historical societies, or organizations.

7. How to locate Primary Source Material (con’t): Visit historical sites if possible—real or online Call or write the historical site if you can’t visit and have them send you information Write the National Archives and Records or visit this website: http://www.archives.gov/http://www.archives.gov/

8. What if my person was illiterate? Look for ship’s records or archaeological records Look for agencies that dealt with migrant populations

9. Interpreting Primary Sources Your interpretation of your primary sources IS your History Fair Project!!! Don’t assume they all contain “the truth.” Never take a fact from a single source; be sure to corroborate it with other sources. Info from http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/ResearchRoadmap.htm