What is a primary source?

Answer

A primary source is a first-hand account of an event, time period, or philosophical era.

 

A primary source may include:

  • diaries, journals, speeches, letters, interviews, office memos and other papers if the author was present at the event being written about
  •  memoirs and autobiographies which are describing events that the author was present for
  • government documents, such as census records
  • reports and minutes of organizations that reflect events, conditions and ideas of the time
  • books, journals and newspapers written at the time of the event in question
  • photographs, audio tapes, and film that document an event
  • research data documenting scientific data at the time
  • artifacts of all kinds, which may include buildings (architecture), household items, cave drawings, clothing, paintings, pottery

 

Primary sources do not include:

  • historical accounts of an event
  • memoirs or autobiographies that reflect on an event that the author was not present for, unless it reflects the popular opinion of the time
  • a critical analysis of a work of literature that was written much later than the actual work
  • documentation of ideas or psychology of a time may be found in popular fiction, films, educational material etc produced during that time period
  • a critical analysis of an historical event that was written much later

 

For more information about why we use primary sources and how to search for them, please visit our Primary Sources Guide.

 

  • Last Updated Aug 07, 2020
  • Views 47
  • Answered By Matt Young

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