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A PRIMARY SOURCE is a document or record containing firsthand information or original data on a topic. Primary sources are created contemporaneously with the topic they describe. Examples of primary sources include: original manuscripts, diaries, memoirs, letters, journals, photographs, drawings, interviews, government documents, public records, eyewitness accounts, and artifacts.
Summary of characteristics:
- Original, first-hand account of an event or time period
- Usually written or made during or close to the event or time period
- Original, creative writing or works of art
- Factual, not interpretive
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A SECONDARY SOURCE is a work that is one step removed from the original source. Secondary sources are created after the fact, and describe, summarize, analyze, or evaluate primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include: reviews, critical analyses, biographical studies, and historical studies.
Summary of characteristics:
- Analyzes and interprets primary sources
- Second-hand account of an historical event
- Interprets creative work
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