The information sources on this page are generally considered to be primary sources, in that they provide first-hand accounts, data, or evidence of different phenomenon, events, people, and ideas within the city of Chicago. These sources are awaiting your scholarly analysis!

When starting research on any topic, it's crucial to get in the habit of questioning the sources that you find. Of each source, ask:

• Who wrote this source?
• Who is the audience for this source?
• What is the purpose of this source? (To inform, entertain, or educate?)

Local newspapers are a great place to learn about stories that might exhibit courage, conflict, families, the power of communities, or movements. NUL provides access to the following newspapers with your NU NetID and password.

• Chicago Defender 1989-current (available through Ethnic Newswatch)
• Chicago Sun-Times 1986-current (available through Access World News)
• Chicago Tribune 1985-current (available through ProQuest)

Below are freely available Chicago news outlets that also feature stories of local interest. 

Data can provide quantitative information about Chicago's neighborhoods and their resources (or lack thereof). You can use data to inform an argument, add statistics to make a story more credible, or to backup your own personal experience.