How do I find primary sources online?

Before you start searching for primary sources, you will need to decide which type of material you need. Do you need diaries, newspapers articles, photographs, or letters or all of them?

For example, if you are looking for evidence of experiences on the home front in Kent during the Second World War, you can create an effective search strategy in Google by typing:

(diary OR diaries) AND (Second World War OR WW2) Kent. 

This search may not lead you directly to a full-text diary, but it will most probably bring up the websites of archives, museums or historical societies that have print or digitised full-text primary source materials.

Watch this video to find out more about the techniques needed for searching for primary sources online.

You can find many freely available primary source material via museums, libraries, art galleries and archives.