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Understand the
Difference: Primary versus Secondary Sources
You’ve been asked to write a research paper, and
your instructor said that you must include both primary and secondary
sources within your paper. “What’s the difference?” you
wonder. In this handout, we’ll consider the differences between
primary and secondary sources.
What are primary sources?
Primary sources are original works. They can be first hand accounts,
created by participants or observers (eyewitnesses) to events, or
original works of art (written and visual). They may have been created
at the time of the event or at a later date.
Many different types of primary sources exist. They may include written
documents (published or unpublished), oral histories or traditions,
and visual artifacts. These categories can overlap as well. Let’s
consider a few examples.
Category |
Examples |
| Written Documents |
Federal and state laws; Federal, state, or local government
documents, including birth, marriage, and death records, court
records, census records, etc; Autobiographical works, including
books and memoirs; Personal papers, including diaries and correspondence;
Creative works, including fiction; Magazine, newspaper, or journal
articles written during the time period that you’re writing
about; Accounts of research, including research diaries, reports,
and articles. |
| Oral Histories or Traditions |
Interviews, speeches, and personal narratives. Often these are
sound/audio or video recordings. |
| Visual Artifacts |
Paintings, films, photographs, maps, coins, stamps, tombstones,
or other creative media. |
Some primary sources are published documents that were originally
published for wide audiences (e.g., government reports and pamphlets).
Other primary sources are unpublished and were never intended to be
published (e.g., diaries and correspondence). Likewise, primary documents
may be written by public figures or by ordinary people.
You may find primary sources in their original format, but they
may be reproduced in another format. They also may be collected
in some way, such as in book format (e.g., a collection of letters),
on the Internet, or in a microfilm collection.
It’s worth noting that primary sources (just like secondary
sources) can be reliable or unreliable and should be critically
evaluated. (See the Library of Congress’s webpage on Analyzing
Primary Sources for a good discussion on information about the “time
and place rule” and questions for analyzing primary sources.
It’s available at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/psources/analyze.html.)
What are secondary sources?
Secondary sources are works (books, articles, etc.) that interpret,
explain, or analyze the “original” document, event,
or work.
Examples of secondary sources may include scholarly or popular
books and newspaper, magazine, or journal articles. Some secondary
sources include quotes from primary sources (e.g., textbooks).
Secondary sources can be scholarly or non-scholarly.
Finally, it’s also worth noting that these categories
(primary versus secondary) are not absolute. A source may be
a secondary source in one case and a primary source in another.
For example, Stephen Spender’s The Thirties and After:
Poetry, Politics, People, 1930’s-1970’s is a secondary
source because it discusses historical events and primary works
by Yeats, D.H. Lawrence, etc. But, if you’re writing a
paper about Stephen Spender’s writing style as a critic,
this source could be a primary source because it serves as an
original source of Stephen Spender’s style.
Recommended Resources
The Library of Congress
The Learning Page: The Historian’s Sources
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/psources/pshome.html
Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute
From Dusty to Digital: Using Primary Sources by Gail Hall
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1999/7/99.07.01.x.html
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