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Primary and Secondary Sources

This document defines and provides examples of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources provide direct evidence about an event or topic, and include things like personal letters, interviews, photographs, and government documents. Secondary sources are one or more steps removed from the event or time period, and include works like biographies, encyclopedias, history books, and magazine articles that analyze and interpret primary sources.

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Micah Ela Monsalve
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50 views7 pages

Primary and Secondary Sources

This document defines and provides examples of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources provide direct evidence about an event or topic, and include things like personal letters, interviews, photographs, and government documents. Secondary sources are one or more steps removed from the event or time period, and include works like biographies, encyclopedias, history books, and magazine articles that analyze and interpret primary sources.

Uploaded by

Micah Ela Monsalve
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Primary Sources

A primary source
provides direct or
firsthand evidence
about an event, object,
person, or work of art.
Primary sources
provide the original
materials
Examples of primary sources:
 Autobiographies and memoirs

 Diaries, personal letters, and correspondence

 Interviews, surveys, and fieldwork

 Internet communications on email, blogs, listservs, and newsgroups

 Photographs, drawings, and posters

 Works of art and literature

 Books, magazine and newspaper articles and ads published at the time

 Public opinion polls

 Speeches and oral histories

 Original documents (birth certificates, property deeds, trial transcripts)

 Research data, such as census statistics

 Official and unofficial records of organizations and government

agencies
 Artifacts of all kinds, such as tools, coins, clothing, furniture, etc.

 Audio recordings, DVDs, and video recordings

 Government documents (reports, bills, proclamations, hearings, etc.)

 Patents

 Technical reports

 Scientific journal articles reporting experimental research results


Secondary Sources
Secondary sources
describe, discuss,
interpret, comment
upon, analyze,
evaluate, summarize,
and process primary
sources. A secondary
source is generally one
or more steps removed
from the event or time
period and are written
or produced after the
fact.
Examples of secondary sources:
Bibliographies
Biographical works
Reference books, including dictionaries, encyclopedias,
and atlases
Articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers after
the event
Literature reviews and review articles (e.g., movie
reviews, book reviews)
History books and other popular or scholarly books
Works of criticism and interpretation
Commentaries and treatises
Textbooks
Indexes and abstracts

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