Evaluate carefully any information you find on the Web for:
Your instructor may require articles from scholarly journals (also called academic or peer-reviewed journals) instead of popular magazines.
There's also something called a trade journal.
What's the difference? Here's a quick overview courtesy of Ithaca College Library.
Primary sources are the raw tools of historical research - the material closest to the topic of investigation.
Often they are created during the time period which is being studied (correspondence, diaries, newspapers, government documents, art) but they can also be produced later by eyewitnesses or participants (memoirs, oral histories).
You may find primary sources in their original format (usually in an archive) or reproduced in a variety of ways: books, microfilm, digital, etc.
Examples of primary sources especially relevant for political science research include but are not limited to:
Check out this brief YouTube video of a famous historical event for an explanation of primary vs. secondary sources.
The following are examples and just scratch the surface of places for finding primary sources relevant for American government & politics research. Consult with your instructor or a librarian for more ideas.
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Lanier Technical College Libraries
Marci Manglitz
Director of Library Services
Hall Campus
770-533-6968
mmanglitz@laniertech.edu
Min Su
Librarian
Forsyth Campus
678-341-6636
msu@laniertech.edu
Tina Jordan
Librarian
Dawson Campus
678-513-5221
tjordan@laniertech.edu
Angela Moss-Hill
Librarian
Barrow & Jackson Campus
770-297-4525
amoss-hill@laniertech.edu