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What is a Primary Source?
Characteristics of Primary Sources:
- Created at the time of the event
- First-hand information and original data
Examples of Primary Sources:
- Letters
- Reports
- Government records
- Diaries or journals
- Interviews
- Images or photographs
- Cartoons
- Posters
- Videos or films
- Sound recordings
- Emails
- Maps
- Speeches
- Eyewitness accounts
- Contemporary magazine or newspaper articles
- Autobiographies
- Personal narratives or memoirs
- Articles with original research, data, or new findings
- Art
- Music
What is a Secondary Source?
- A summary or collection of existing data
- One step removed from the original event
- Should have a full citation of original sources (bibliography)
- Examples include:
- Textbooks
- Review articles
- Biographies
- Historical films, music, and art
- Articles about people and events from the past
