Primary & Secondary Sources C. Smith RMMS Librarian
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources Primary SourcesDiaries Letters Photographs Audio recordings Original documents Speeches Works of art Artifacts Secondary SourcesDictionaries Encyclopedias Biographical works Textbooks Critical analyses Note: Source types can change depending upon the subject of the research.
Primary Sources Primary sources can be written or verbal accounts, memorabilia, photographs, or artifacts. Written or verbal primary accounts are usually created or recorded at or near the time of an event because a person’s ability to recall specific details is sharper then. In the case of physical evidence, like debris that fell after the plane crashed into the Twin Towers on 9/11, the artifacts are created at the time of the event. Photographs taken at the time are also considered primary sources. (Webb)
Primary Sources A journal entry describing an event or a letter to a friend afterwards are both considered primary sources IF the writer was present as an eye- witness, AND the writer, or the event, is the subject of your research. Movie posters, ticket stubs, campaign stickers, and school schedules can all be considered primary sources too. The image at right would be considered a primary source for research about Michael Jackson and/or MTV. (Thriller)
Primary Sources— Think About It… 1. Why do police gather witness statements as soon as possible after a crime or car crash? 2. Why do you think a crime scene is roped off? 3. Briefly explain an event that you witnessed. List as many primary sources as you can think of for that event.
Primary Sources Written first Published in a scholarly/academic journal Several pages long Written by those who did the research Written for other scholars or professionals Follows a scientific model Original document or data Secondary Sources Written second (or later) Found in a magazine/popular media Usually short document Written by reporter or someone other than researcher Written for regular people No specific pattern for reporting Purpose of writing is to attract interest in the subject/topic/person Differentiating Between Primary and Secondary
Secondary Sources It is not as easy to define secondary sources because this category comprises anything that has been interpreted or analyzed—that’s A LOT! Usually secondary sources are written much later than the initial event and have used several resources to arrive at conclusions. Secondary sources are not considered evidence, but rather a discussion of what has already occurred. When using secondary sources, consider how recently the document was written. Sometimes new information is available that makes older secondary sources incorrect. Copyright-page
Secondary Sources Also, when using secondary sources, think about the author’s bias. Bias means that a person feels a certain way about the subject already, and their feelings can alter their interpretation. For example, you might LOVE the librarian at RMMS, so if you were writing a biography about me, you might discuss all the nice things that I do, but someone who does not like me would strongly disagree! The other person would likely interpret my actions differently than you would.
Secondary Sources— Think About It… 1. If you were researching the history of computers, why would it matter if a book was published in 1993 or 2011? 2. A recipe card written by my grandmother is a primary source, and if I made the recipe and asked people how they liked it, the survey data would be primary as well. What would be secondary information about that recipe? (Powell-Smith)
Works Cited Copyright-page. n.d. Instantpublisher.com. Web. 19 Aug Powell-Smith, Michelle. How to create recipe card albums. n.d. eHow.com. Web. 19 Aug Vintageadbrowser.com. Web. 19 Aug Webb, Kevin. September ground-zero- twin-towers (27) KevinWebb22.com. Web. 19 Aug