Primary Sources: Journal, Magazine & Newspaper Articles

Newspaper, magazine and journal articles can be primary sources if they were written around the time of the event studied (for example, a newspaper article written in 1945 about the end of the war). 

Jump to:

• Newspapers (Canada, United States, Britain)
• Magazines
• Journals

Consult the Newspapers Research Guide  for more modern newspaper sources.

See the Finding Journal Articles Research Guide for more information about locating journal articles.

Canada

• African-American Newspapers: The 19th Century
  19th century African American newspapers providing first hand accounts of the major events of the day including the Mexican War, Congressional Abstracts, Presidential and Congressional addresses. Also includes early biographies, vital statistics and creative writing all of which represents the African American experience and includes the Canadian newspaper, the Provincial Freeman.
• Canadiana Collections
  Newspapers and magazines covering the time period of the early European settlers to the 20th century in Canada.
• Globe & Mail: ProQuest Historical Newspapers
  Covering 1844-2016, this resource is a full-page searchable archive of the Canadian newspaper, the Globe & Mail.
• Paper of Record
  The collection consists of newspapers which dates back to the 17th century to the early 2000s from Canada, the United States, Britain, Mexico, Europe and the Bahamas.
• Toronto Star: ProQuest Historical Newspapers
  Covering 1894-2018, this resource is a full-page searchable archive of the Toronto newspaper, the Toronto Star.

United States

• Eighteenth Century Journals
  A collection of newspapers and rare journals from the 17th to 19th century that covers such topics like: colonial life, provincial/rural affairs, French and American revolutions, review of European fashion and literature and political debates.
• Eight Centuries
  Indexes a range of printed materials from the 19th century including journals, magazines, newspapers, books and government documents. Documents included are mainly from the United States and United Kingdom. Coverage is from 1774 -- 1920.
• African American Newspapers
  19th century African American newspapers providing first hand accounts of the major events of the day including the Mexican War, Congressional Abstracts, Presidential and Congressional addresses. Also includes early biographies, vital statistics and creative writing all of which represents the African American experience
• C19: The Nineteenth Century Index
  Indexes American and British magazines, journals, government documents and newspapers from 1709 -- 1919.
• Chicago Defender: ProQuest Historical Newspapers
  Full text of the Chicago Defender from 1909 to 1975, an African-American weekly newspaper
• Everyday Life & Women in America, c1800-1920
  A collection of various items including periodicals on popular culture, social history, family life, race, class and employment in America from the 19th to 20th century.
• New York Times: ProQuest Historical Newspapers
  Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue of the American newspaper, the New York Times (covers 1851-2014).
• Paper of Record
  The collection consists of newspapers which dates back to the 17th century to the early 2000s from Canada, the United States, Britain, Mexico, Europe and the Bahamas.

Britain

• Eighteenth Century Journals
  A collection of newspapers and rare journals from the 17th to 19th century that covers such topics like: colonial life, provincial/rural affairs, French and American revolutions, review of European fashion and literature and political debates.
• British Library Newspapers
  A collection that includes the 17th and 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers and 19th Century Newspapers from the British Library that includes three hundred years of newspaper publishing in the U.K. on current topics, political currents and social problems.
• Eight Centuries
  Indexes a range of printed materials from the 19th century including journals, magazines, newspapers, books and government documents. Documents included are mainly from the United States and United Kingdom. Coverage is from 1774 -- 1920.
• C19: The Nineteenth Century Index
  Indexes British and American magazines, journals, government documents and b from 1709 -- 1919.
• Defining Gender
  A collection of various items written by men and women, including periodicals on politeness and conduct, domesticity and family, consumption and leisure, education and sensibility and the body from 1450 to 1910 in Britain and Europe.
• Empire Online
  A collection of various items including periodicals focusing on Empire Studies such as cultural contacts, literature, religion, race, class, imperialism and colonialism in continents that include North America, South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Caribbean and Australasia from 1492 to 2007.
• Making of the Modern World
  A collection of books and serials on the study of early economics, politics, business and social history from 1450-1850.
• Paper of Record
  The collection consists of newspapers which dates back to the 17th century to the early 2000s from Canada, the United States, Britain, Mexico, Europe and the Bahamas.
• Times Digital Archive
  A collection of the U.K. newspaper, the Times, that also has a searchable index with full-text from 1785-2014.

• American Periodicals
  Provides full-text access to a wide range of American magazines and journals. Titles include Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine, America's first scientific journal Medical Repository, as well as popular magazines such as Vanity Fair and Ladies' Home Journal.
• C19: The Nineteenth Century Index
  Indexes British and American magazines, journals, government documents and newspapers from 1709 -- 1919.
• Defining Gender
  A collection of various items written by men and women, including periodicals on politeness and conduct, domesticity and family, consumption and leisure, education and sensibility and the body from 1450 to 1910 in Britain and Europe.
• Canadiana Collections
  Newspapers and magazines covering the time period of the early European settlers to the 20th century in Canada.
• Empire Online
  A collection of various items including periodicals focusing on Empire Studies such as cultural contacts, literature, religion, race, class, imperialism and colonialism in continents that include North America, South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Caribbean and Australasia from 1492 to 2007.
• Everyday Life & Women in America
  A collection of various items including periodicals on popular culture, social history, family life, race, class and employment in America from the 19th to 20th century.
• Making of the Modern World
  A collection of books and serials on the study of early economics, politics, business and social history from 1450-1850.
• North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories
  Includes letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, oral histories and magazine articles about immigrants in Canada and the United States, 1840-present.
• Libris Canadiana
  Provides word, title, author and subject access to material published in a number of Canadian periodicals of historical significance including: Maclean's Magazine, The Financial Post, The Monetary Times of Canada, Massey's Magazine, The Canadian Bookman, The Canadian Magazine, Saturday Night and The University Magazine. The time period covered is the 19th and 20th centuries.
• Periodicals Archive Online
  Provides access to 500 full-text periodicals mostly published in the US and UK. Also includes 65 foreign-language titles.
• Readers' Guide Abstracts
  Contains indexing and abstracting of many popular general-interest periodicals published in Canada and the United States from 1983 forward. Select the Retro option to find articles written between 1890-1982.

• Eighteenth Century Journals
  A collection of newspapers and rare journals from the 17th to 19th century that covers such topics like: colonial life, provincial/rural affairs, French and American revolutions, review of European fashion and literature and political debates.
• C19: The Nineteenth Century Index
  Indexes British and American magazines, journals, government documents and newspapers from 1709 -- 1919.
• Defining Gender
  A collection of various items written by men and women, including periodicals on politeness and conduct, domesticity and family, consumption and leisure, education and sensibility and the body from 1450 to 1910 in Britain and Europe.
• Everyday Life & Women in America
  A collection of various items including periodicals on popular culture, social history, family life, race, class and employment in America from the 19th to 20th century.
• JSTOR
  Archives arts, social sciences, humanities, business and natural science journals. Some journal issues are available from as far back as 17th century. Browse by discipline for journal titles and dates of coverage.
• Making of America
  A collection that includes books and 50, 000 journal articles with 19th century imprints in subject areas such as education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, science and technology.
• Making of the Modern World
  A collection of books and serials on the study of early economics, politics, business and social history from 1450-1850.
• Periodicals Archive Online
  Provides access to 500 full-text periodicals mostly published in the US and UK. Also includes 65 foreign-language titles.