Primary & Secondary Sources
You are required to seek out primary and secondary material for your research project. Sources for these two types of material are not easily separated, that is, a library catalog is just as likely to include primary material as it is to include secondary, so be sure to acquaint yourself with their definitions.
Reference Sources

Consider gathering background information on your topic from these reference sources on India. These specialized sources can provide excellent bibliographies.
Style Manual
Use the Chicago Manual of Style for formatting your paper and compiling your bibliography.
Library Catalogs
In these catalogs you will find books and videos on India, Gandhi, caste violence, partition, and other secondary-type material. They will also include plenty of primary-type material, including memoirs, collected works,
autobiographies, and more.
- NExpress
- a regional catalog (CBB, Wellesley, Williams, Northeastern, Middlebury, Vassar); a great way to expand your search; self-service requests take 2-3 days
- MaineCat
- includes the holdings of most Maine libraries (academic and public); requests take 2-5 days
- WorldCat
- a combined database of many library catalogs worldwide; request items through the Interlibrary Loan service
Articles, Book Chapters, and Books
Your choices for article databases will depend on your topic, but more than likely will include one or more of the following. These databases mostly will cover secondary sources but it won't be unusual for you to run across primary material as well.
- Historical Abstracts
- the primary history database for non-North American history; secondary source articles, dissertations, book chapters, books
- Bibliography of Asian Studies
- includes articles but is one of the few database that also covers book chapters
- Gender Studies Database
- covers the full spectrum of gender scholarship, including the Caste system in India
- PAIS International: [1915-1976] [1972-present]
- an excellent source for public policy, international relations, economic policy, domestic policy
- Sociological Abstracts
- this database will be good for finding sources from a sociological perspective, such as the impact that Gandhi has/had on society, the way he is perceived today
- Newspapers - for a contemporary look at your topic
- The following sources contain, for the most part, magazine articles. Therefore they don't qualify as scholarly research. However, they might be interesting for a contemporary look at or responses to your topic:
- Periodicals Archive Online (1665-2000)
- periodicals in the humanities and social sciences - Humanities and Social Sciences Index Retrospective (1907-1984)
- Periodicals Archive Online (1665-2000)
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Carr RossH-L Library
Bowdoin College
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