Search Tips & Locating Primary Sources
Keywords versus Subject Headings
Keywords and subject headings differ significantly and each has its disadvantages and advantages, depending on the nature of your search.
| Subject Heading | Keyword |
|---|---|
| More appropriate once you have consulted background reference materials on the subject and have a general idea on how you would like to narrow it down. | Useful when you are not very familiar with the topic and would like to get a general overview on the number, format, and dates of publication of the sources that pertain to it. |
| Requires some familiarity with controlled vocabulary. | Can be combined with any words. |
| Results can be refined by selecting subheadings. | Tends to produce too many or too few search results. |
| Very precise in producing relevant results, but providing too specific subject headings can yield fewer results. | Often produces many irrelevant results. |
Please consult a detailed comparison table from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library from which the above information was derived.
Recommended Subject Headings: Secondary Sources
The following are arranged in the order of pertinence. This is not an exhaustive list.
- Germany History 1933–1945
- Third Reich
- National socialism
- National socialism History
- Germany Politics and government 1933–1945
- Germany History 1918–1945
- Germany History 20th century
- Women Germany History 20th century
- Anti-Nazi movement
- Propaganda, German
- Jews Germany History 1933–1945
- Holocaust, Jewish (1939–1945)
- World War, 1939–1945 Atrocities
- World War, 1939–1945
...and many more!
How to Construct Subject Headings
As you are able to deduce from the list above, single, more general subject heading (such as “Nationalism” and “History” can be combined to create multiple and more specific subject headings to refine your search results.
For instance, if you are interested in researching and writing about history of women in the Third Reich, the subject heading is Women Germany History 20th century. Make sure, however, that you are not being too specific while searching using subject headings: such headings as Women Third Reich will not return any relevant resources, but you can use it as a keyword.
Locating Primary Sources
Subject headings can also be used to find primary sources: just add the term Source to the end of the group of subject headings, for instance:
- Germany History 1918–1933 Sources
- National socialism History Sources
- National socialism History Sources
- Germany History 1933–1945 Sources
- Hitler, Adolf, 1889–1945 Sources
There are many other ways of locating primary sources. Please consult the following subject guides for more in-depth instructions:
- HIS109: Introduction to Primary Sources (University of Toronto Libraries)
- Finding Primary Sources (University of Toronto at Scarborough)
- East Central European History: Primary Sources (University of Toronto Libraries)
- Guide to Finding Primary Resources (York University)
Examples of Primary Sources
Landmark Speeches of National Socialism
Randall L. Bytwerk (editor and translator), 2008
National socialism History Sources
Germany History 1933–1945 Sources.
Hitler and the Nazis: A History in Documents
David F. Crew, 2005
National socialism History Sources
Germany History 1918–1933 Sources
Germany History 1933–1945 Sources
Hitler, Adolf, 1889–1945 Sources.
Image source: “Rally on the Königsplatz.” California State University World Image Kiosk.
