ENG 101: College Writing (Food) (Benson)
Primary Sources Based on Academic Discipline
Primary sources in the Humanities (history, literature, religion) focus on original documents or accounts contemporary to a specific event or an individual’s life. Terms such as “eyewitness” or “firsthand” are also commonly used to describe these sources. Autobiographical accounts written at a later date are also considered primary sources. Letters, diaries, journal entries, public records as well as contemporaneous newspapers articles offer solid examples of this type of primary source. Fictional works such as short stories or novels written during that specific time period constitute primary documents, too.
In the Arts (art, dance, music, theatre), primary sources are as diverse as the various disciplines in the category. They may include paintings, sculpture, prints, performances, video or audio recordings, scripts, or musical scores.
Social Sciences (psychology, sociology, education) place a heavy emphasis on unanalyzed data sets as primary sources. Numerical data sets such as census figures, opinion polls, surveys or interview transcripts constitute this type of raw, uninterpreted data. A researcher’s field notes are also primary sources in the social sciences.
Primary source documents in the Sciences (biology, ecology, chemistry) focus on original research, ideas, or findings published in academic journals. These articles mark the first publication of such research; and they detail the researcher’s methodology and results. Plant or mineral samples and other artifacts are primary sources as well.
Examples of Primary Sources
- Diaries or journals (published or unpublished)
- Letters, correspondence or other personal communications
- Public documents such as deeds, marriages license or certificates
- Newspapers and weekly newsmagazines (offering contemporaneous reporting of events)
- Radio and television transcripts and wire reports
- Speeches in print or audio formats
- Court cases
- Legislative reports, bills and laws
- Census data
- Government Documents
- Maps
- Art works such as paintings, prints or photographs
- Museum artifacts
- Interviews or oral histories
- Works of literature such as fiction, poetry or drama
- Statistics including opinion polls
Data and Statistics
The federal government is a great source for all sorts of national statistics; getting world statistics can be more challenging. Check out the Guide to U.S.Government Statistics (below) that contains both!
- USA FactsUSAFacts is a new data-driven portrait of the American population, our government’s finances, and government’s impact on society. We are a non-partisan, not-for-profit civic initiative and have no political agenda or commercial motive. We provide this information as a free public service and are committed to maintaining and expanding it in the future.
Think Tanks: Foundations and Research Institutes
A think tank is generally defined as a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that devotes a "significant portion of its activities to public policy analysis. Think tanks identify policy issues, evaluate ideas, and design public policies." Researchers at these institutions study contemporary problems and provide secondary analysis of primary sources, such as demographic and economic data.
Quick Guide for Identifying Primary Sources
Document Analysis Worksheets from the National Archives
Digitized Collections from Massachusetts Libraries
Search for Primary Sources from These Online Collections
What is Provenance?
The online collections below might lead you to a useful primary source. Once you have found what looks like an interesting collection, what is your next step? According to Richard Pearce-Moses of the Society of American Archivists, researchers "will look critically at where the information comes from. They want to be confident that the sources they have found e.g. scanned images, are reliable and represent an accurate depiction of the original document. Determining the origin or source of an item is referred to as “provenance.” The Society of American Archivists defines provenance as the “information regarding the origins, custody, and ownership of an item or collection.”1
- Biblioboard LibraryDigital library offers unlimited, multi-user access to a growing assortment of rich historical and locally curated multimedia content. Modules contain multiple anthologies, which may contain books, images, and primary sources. Featuring interesting digital exhibits from a wide range of partners, this ensures global access to the some of the best digital storytelling exhibits on a mobile-friendly platform.
- Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History"The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History is funded by the Heilbrunn Foundation, New Tamarind Foundation, and Zodiac Fund. The Timeline of Art History presents the Met’s collection via a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of global art history. Targeted at students and scholars of art history, it is an invaluable reference, research, and teaching tool."
- Library of Congress: American Memory ProjectRich, searchable database of written and spoken word, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
- National Archives Research"The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever."
- Pew Research CenterPew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research.
- Smithsonian's Collections"The Smithsonian's collections represent our nation's rich heritage, art from across the globe, and the immense diversity of the natural and cultural world. "