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World History - Burt: Background Information

North Shore Community College Library resources for Professor Jessica Burt's World History Primary Source Research Project.

Tertiary Sources Defined

What is a tertiary source?

Tertiary sources provide overviews of topics by synthesizing information gathered from primary and secondary sources. Examples of tertiary sources include textbooks, encyclopedias and other reference sources. 

Use tertiary sources in historical research to:

  • provide background information on your primary source and its creator
  • answer who, what, when, where, why questions 
  • build search vocabulary

Reference Databases

Resources to Locate Tertiary Material for Background Information

Print Reference Sources

Print Reference Sources

Additional print reference sources are available at the NSCC Library that may be helpful for finding background information on your primary source and its creator. Contact me and I can direct you to the best one(s).