Primary Sources

Primary Sources are first-hand accounts such as diaries, maps, journals, letters, treaties, photographs, speeches, memoirs, autobiography, original artwork (or photographic representation of art work)—anything that is considered a direct source.  That is, the creator is actually a direct participant in or an observer of an event.  There are many other examples of primary sources that we will not include here. Sometimes, a source that might be considered a primary source in one discipline may not be the case for another discipline. Whether a soure is primary will sometimes depend on the context and your use of the specific source. The distinction between primary and secondary can be a very gray area. 

Remember! Although many sources can be considered primary, it is important that you consult with your instructor and/or a librarian to confirm that something is, indeed, a primary source that is acceptable for your assignment. While some instructors may accept a wider variety of items, others might only allow for very specific types of sources to be used.

Examples of primary and secondary 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

*Icons on this page are by Saeful Muslim from The Noun Project (CCBY3.0)