An Introduction to Primary and Secondary Sources
What are primary sources? Original records from the past recorded by people who were: Involved in the event Witnessed the event first hand These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event
What are primary sources? They can also be objects (artifacts) or visual evidence. They give you an idea about what people alive at the time saw or thought about the event.
What are primary sources? Keep in mind that a primary source reflects only one point of view and may contain a person’s bias (prejudice) toward an event.
Some types of Primary Sources include: ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings
Examples of Primary Sources include: The Diary of Anne Frank - Experiences of a Jewish family during WWII The Constitution of Canada - Canadian History A journal article reporting NEW research or findings Weavings and pottery - Native American history Plato’s Republic - Women in Ancient Greece
Examples of Words that Would Identify a Source as Primary: Diaries Early works Interviews Manuscripts Oratory Pamphlets Personal narratives Sources Speeches Letters Documents
What are secondary sources? Secondary sources are made at a later time. They include written information by historians or others AFTER an event has taken place.
What are secondary sources? Although they can be useful and reliable, they cannot reflect what people who lived at the time thought or felt about the event. But they can represent a more fair account of the event because they can include more than one point of view, or may include information that was unavailable at the time of the event.
What is a Secondary Source? A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes, or graphics of primary sources in them.
Examples of secondary sources: Textbooks, biographies, histories, newspaper report by someone who was not present
Examples of secondary sources: Charts, graphs, or images created AFTER the time period.
Some types of secondary sources include: PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks Magazine articles Histories Criticisms Commentaries Encyclopedias
Examples of secondary sources include: A journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews previous findings A history textbook A book about the effects of WWI
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