What is a primary source?
Primary sources provide the raw data you use to support your arguments. Some common types of primary resources include manuscripts, diaries, court cases, maps, data sets, experiment results, news stories, polls, or original research. In many cases what makes a primary resource is contextual. For example, a biography about Abraham Lincoln is a secondary resource about Lincoln. However, if examined as a piece of evidence about the nature of biographical writing, or as an example of the biographer's writing method it becomes a primary resource.
Examples
|
Disciplines |
Primary source examples |
|
Anthropology, Archeology |
Articles describing research, ethnographies, surveys, cultural and historical artifacts |
|
Communications, Journalism |
News (printed, radio, TV, online), photographs, blogs, social media sites |
|
Education, Political Science, Public Policy |
Government publications, laws, court cases, speeches, test results, interviews, polls, surveys |
|
Fine Arts |
Original art work, photographs, recordings of performances and music, scripts (film, theater, television), music scores, interviews, memoirs, diaries, letters |
|
History |
Government publications, newspapers, photographs, diaries, letters, manuscripts, business records, court cases, videos, polls, census data, speeches |
|
Language and Literature |
Novels, plays, short stories, poems, dictionaries, language manuals |
|
Psychology, Sociology, Economics |
Articles describing research, experiment results, ethnographies, interviews, surveys, data sets |
|
Sciences |
Articles describing research and methodologies, documentation of lab research, research studies |
Primary Source Databases
What is a secondary source?
Secondary sources analyze primary sources, using primary source materials to answer research questions. Secondary sources may analyze, criticize, interpret or summarize data from primary sources. The most common secondary resources are books, journal articles, or reviews of the literature. Secondary sources may also be primary sources. For example if someone studies the nature of literary criticism in the 19th century then a literary critique from the 19th century becomes a primary resource.
Examples
|
Disciplines |
Secondary source examples |
|
Anthropology, Archeology |
Reviews of the literature, critical interpretations of scholarly studies |
|
Communications, Journalism |
Interpretive journal articles, books and blogs about the communications industry. |
|
Education, Political Science, Public Policy |
Reviews of the literature, critical interpretations of scholarly studies |
|
Fine Arts |
Critical interpretations of art and artists—biographies, reviews, recordings of live performances |
|
History |
Interpretive journal articles and books |
|
Language and Literature |
Literary criticism, biographies, reviews, text books |
|
Psychology, Sociology, Economics |
Reviews of the literature, critical interpretations of scholarly studies |
|
Sciences |
Publications about the significance of research or experiments |