Primary Sources Defined: A primary source could be defined as something that was created either during the time period being studied or afterward by individuals reflecting on their involvement in the events of that time. They are generally first person accounts, original creative works, and raw data. A scholar in the humanities may use a newspaper photograph or a poem as a primary source while a scientist might use data from an experiment or an artifact from an archaeological dig.

Secondary Sources Defined: A secondary source of information is one that was created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions being researched. They comment upon, explain, or interpret primary sources.

Primary Sources Secondary Sources Summary Publications Tertiary Sources Diaries, Theses Conference papers Reports, Patents Diaries, Theses Conference papers Reports, Patents Review articles, Scholarly books, Popular literature Review articles, Scholarly books, Popular literature Reference Books Dictionaries, Encyclopedias Handbooks Reference Books Dictionaries, Encyclopedias Handbooks Guides to the literature Annotated bibliographies Guides to the literature Annotated bibliographies Different Types of Sources

Examples of Sources in Different Disciplines DisciplinePrimarySecondary ArtPaintingArticle discussing artist’s influences HistoryFamily diariesBiography of family members Political Science Election dataArticle analyzing voting trends TheaterPlayReview of play Social Sciences Statistics, Report of an original experiment Article about topic, review of several studies on the same topic