Download - Primary vs secondary sources
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Primary Sources
Primary sources are the "materials on a topic upon which subsequent interpretations or studies are based, anything from first hand documents such as poems, diaries, court records, and interviews to research results generated by experiments, surveys, ethnographies, and so on."*
Primary sources are records of events as they are first described, without any interpretation or commentary. They are also sets of data, such as census statistics, which have been tabulated, but not interpreted.
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources, on the other hand, offer an analysis or a restatement of primary sources. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. Some secondary sources not only analyze primary sources, but use them to argue a contention or to persuade the reader to hold a certain opinion.
Examples of secondary sources include: dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, and books and articles that interpret or review research works.
Examples of primary and secondary sources:
Primary Source Secondary Source
Art Original artwork Article critiquing the piece of art
History Slave diary Book about the Underground Railroad
Literature Poem Treatise on a particular genre of poetry
Political Science Treaty Essay on Native American land rights
Theatre Videotape of a performance Biography of a playwright
If you are unsure of what would be considered a primary source for your particular project, ask your teacher for examples. The following is an incomplete list of things that might be considered primary sources by different academic disciplines.
Anthropologyartifact, field notes, fossil, photograph
Artarchitectural model or drawing, building or structure, letter, motion picture, organizational records, painting, personal account, photograph, print, sculpture, sketch book
Biologyfield notes, plant specimen, research report
Economicscompany statistics, consumer survey, data series
Engineeringbuilding or structure, map, geological survey, patent, schematic drawing, technical report
Governmentgovernment report, interview, letter, news report, personal account, press release, public opinion survey, speech, treaty or international agreement
Historyartifact, diary, government report, interview, letter, map, news report, oral history, organizational records, photograph, speech, work of art
Lawcode, statute, court opinion, legislative report
Literaturecontemporary review, interview, letter, manuscript, personal account, published work
Musiccontemporary review, letter, personal account, score, sound recording
Psychologycase study, clinical case report, experimental replication, follow-up study, longitudinal study, treatment outcome study
Sociologycultural artifact, interview, oral history, organizational records, statistical data, survey