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Long Descriptions of infographics and images in Guides

Primary v. Secondary Sources

Primary Sources: Original documents created or experienced contemporaneously with the event being researched. They are first-hand observations, contemporary accounts of events, viewpoints of the time. They present original thinking, report a discovery, or share new information. 

Secondary Sources: Works that analyze, assess, or interpret an historical event, era or phenomenon, generally utilizing primary sources to do so. They provide interpretation of information, usually written well after the event. They offer reviews or critiques. 

 

 

primary and secondary sources
Primary Sources Secondary Sources
Diaries Biographical Works
Journal articles detailing original research Books (except fiction & autobiographies)
Letters Commentaries, criticisms
Newspaper articles written at the time HIstories
Oral and video recordings Journal articles (depending on the discipline these can be primary)
Photographs Magazine and newspaper articles (this distinction varies by discipline)
Records of organizations, government agencies (e.g. annual reports, treaty, constitution)
Speeches
Survey Research (e.g. market surveys, public opinion polls)
Works of art, architecture, literature, music
Data, statistics, etc.