HS 461-50: Research Seminar in History

What is a primary source?

Primary sources are documents, web pages, videos, etc., created by people or organizations directly involved in an issue or event. Primary sources are information before it has been analyzed by scholars, students, and others.

Some examples of primary sources:

• diaries and letters - American Civil War: Letters & Diaries, British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries, Manuscript Women's Letters and Diaries, North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories, North American Women's Letters and Diaries
• academic articles presenting original scientific research
• news reports from the time of the event - New York Times Historical: 1851-2019
• literature (poems, novels, plays, etc.)
• fine art (photographs, paintings, sculpture, pottery, music, etc.) - Artstor database
• official records from a government, judicial court, or company
• oral histories - Oral History Online, The History Makers
• speeches
• autobiographies

What is a Secondary Source?

Secondary sources analyze and interpret issues and events. Secondary sources, such as scholarly articles, are typically written by experts who study a topic but are not directly involved in events themselves. Also, secondary sources are usually produced some time after an event occurs and may well contain analysis of primary sources.

Some examples of secondary sources:

• scholarly articles that analyze, review, and/or compare past research
• news reports or articles looking back at a historical event
• documentaries
• biographies
• encyclopedias
• textbooks