Primary Sources

Primary Source Documents: Someone who is the “first person” creates primary
sources; these documents can also be called “original source documents.”
The author or creator is presenting original materials as a result of discovery
or to share new information or opinions. Others have not filtered primary
documents through interpretation or evaluation. In order to get a complete
picture of an event or era, it is necessary to consult multiple—and often
contradictory—sources  (i.e., letters, journals, interviews, speeches,
photos, paintings, etc.).  Research studies written by the researchers who
conducted the study are primary sources in the sciences.

Examples of Primary Source Materials

Some examples of primary source formats include:

 archives and manuscript material

 photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, films
 journals, letters and diaries
 speeches
 scrapbooks
 published books, newspapers and magazine clippings published at the time
 government publications
 oral histories
 records of organizations
 autobiographies and memoirs
 printed ephemera
 artifacts, e.g. clothing, costumes, furniture
 research data, e.g. public opinion polls

(University of California Libraries· Irvine, CA)

Secondary Source Documents: Materials that are produced with the benefit
of hindsight and materials that filter primary sources through
interpretation or evaluation. Books commenting on a historical incident
in history are secondary sources. Political cartoons can be tricky
because they can be considered either primary or secondary.  Articles,
books, or other documents discussing research that was not conducted by
the writer(s) are secondary sources in the sciences.

Examples of Secondary Source Materials

Examples of secondary sources include:

 A scholarly journal article about the history of cardiology

 A current physics textbook
 A book about the psychological effects of WWI
 A biographical dictionary of women in science
 An April 2007 newspaper or magazine article on anti-aging trends
(Harvard library)