Distinguishing between Primary
and Secondary Sources
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A primary
source is an artifact from a particular time,
whether it is written text or something produced in
another manner. It might be a firsthand account of an
observer of or a participant in a particular event. The
source may provide the perspective of the individual
who wrote it, in addition to facts. It might be a
creative work, written or artistic. Other materials
gathered at the time the event took place are also
primary sources.
 The following is a
selection of primary sources:
- Newspaper
reports
- Letters
- Diaries
- Collected
papers of an individual or organization
- Autobiographies
- Speeches
- Literary
works (Novels, poems, plays, etc.)
- Paintings or
sculptures
- Photographs
or drawings
- Television
programs or commercials
- Data from an
experiment, interview, or survey
- Studies in
journal articles
- Dishes,
clothing, or other surviving everyday
items
- Artifacts
found in archaeological digs
A secondary
source, on the other hand, is a discussion of
that same artifact at a later date. Secondary sources
often evaluate or interpret primary sources. Scholars
use primary sources for information, but they can never
be totally confident of what actually happened or what
an author or artist intended. They attempt to construct
the most plausible situation, explanation, or
interpretation of the primary source data. Even when we
try to ignore them, subsequent events often interfere
with our analysis of primary sources.
The following is a
selection of secondary sources:
- Books
- Journal
articles that analyze primary sources or review other
scholarship
- Documentary
movies or television shows
- Biographies
or autobiographies
- Memoirs
- Discussion or
data analysis components of experiments
Notice that certain items, such
as newspapers, television shows, and autobiographies,
may be primary or secondary sources. To distinguish if
a source is primary or secondary, read it carefully to
determine if it was written or produced at the time in
question or if it was produced later.
If you are unsure whether an
item is a primary or secondary source, consult your
professor or one of the reference librarians.
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