REL 299: Research Methods: Primary & Secondary Sources

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
•  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
  
   

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
• Historical studies

 

 Summary of characteristics:

• Analyzes and interprets primary sources
• Second-hand account of an historical event
• Interprets creative work