What Are Primary Sources?
Why are primary sources important? Why is it useful to distinguish them from secondary, or even tertiary, sources?
Primary Sources
- In short, primary sources are those sources that represent the first-hand experience or observation of the creator, which occurs at a given place and time. Primary sources can take many forms, from speeches, artwork, a novel, a poem, photography, original research, original reporting, memoirs, advertisements, etc. More examples are listed in the other pages of this guide. An item that captures a moment of time by a creator can be considered a primary source.
Secondary Sources
- Secondary sources consist of items, usually documentation in textual, visual, or other medium, that comments upon, reports on, analyzes, or interprets a primary source. Criticism or analysis of a literary or artistic work, a literature review, a newspaper article of a current event, can all be considered secondary sources.
- NOTE: Perhaps the most challenging aspect of distinguishing between primary and secondary sources is that depending on the context and how the source is used, an item can be seen as a primary source OR a secondary source. It also depends on the discipline; what might be considered a primary source in one discipline may not be so for another discipline. A news article documenting the Rose Parade of 2023 is a secondary source viewed from the present. That same article viewed in 2053 might be considered a primary source by a historian using that article as first-hand observation of the Rose Parade to write a book on the history of the Rose Parade. Context, time frame, and use determine the nature of the source.
Tertiary Sources
- Finally, tertiary sources are those that provide a summary or overview of an event or topic. For example, encyclopedia entries and textbooks are some of the most popular types of tertiary sources. Tertiary sources are very useful to understanding a new topic or subject for the novice or student learner. These sources provide information on the fundamentals of a topic and serve as a good foundation to exploring a topic further.
Review the videos, tutorials, and practice quizzes to get a deeper understanding of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, and why and how recognizing the differences can be helpful in your research.
Examples of Primary Sources Based on Discipline
| Discipline | Primary Sources | Secondary Sources |
|---|---|---|
|
Art |
Sculpture, painting, mixed media, drawings, sketches, photographs, architecture, jewelry, other forms of art not included here such as musical composition | Reviews or criticism about the specific artwork |
|
Literature
|
Novels, poetry, personal essays, letters, diaries, journals, personal papers/correspondence, lyrics, autobiography, memoirs | Criticism and interpretations of written works |
|
History
|
Speeches, debates, newspaper articles written at the time of event documenting the event, maps |
Sources about an event written after the fact |
|
Social Sciences/Sciences
|
Original research such as surveys, collected data, observation, longitudinal studies documented in scholarly and peer-reviewed journal articles | Literature reviews, newspaper or magazine articles about original scholarly research |
Performing Arts |
Actual performance, film, movie, streaming media | Source that critiques or reviews the performance |
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