Primary vs secondary sources

1. Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Primary Sources
Primary sources are the "materials on a topic upon which subsequent interpretations or
studies are based, anything from first hand documents such as poems, diaries, court
records, and interviews to research results generated by experiments, surveys,
ethnographies, and so on."*
Primary sources are records of events as they are first described, without any
interpretation or commentary. They are also sets of data, such as census statistics,
which have been tabulated, but not interpreted.
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources, on the other hand, offer an analysis or a restatement of primary
sources. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. Some secondary
sources not only analyze primary sources, but use them to argue a contention or to
persuade the reader to hold a certain opinion.
Examples of secondary sources include: dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, and
books and articles that interpret or review research works.
Examples of primary and secondary sources:
Primary Source Secondary Source
Art Original artwork Article critiquing the piece of art
History Slave diary Book about the Underground Railroad
Literature Poem Treatise on a particular genre of poetry
Political ScienceTreaty Essay on Native American land rights
Theatre Videotape of a performanceBiography of a playwright
If you are unsure of what would be considered a primary source for your particular
project, ask your teacher for examples. The following is an incomplete list of things that
might be considered primary sources by different academic disciplines.
Anthropology
artifact, field notes, fossil, photograph

Art
architectural model or drawing, building or structure, letter, motion picture,
organizational records, painting, personal account, photograph, print, sculpture,
sketch book

2. Biology
field notes, plant specimen, research report

Economics
company statistics, consumer survey, data series

Engineering
building or structure, map, geological survey, patent, schematic drawing,
technical report

Government
government report, interview, letter, news report, personal account, press
release, public opinion survey, speech, treaty or international agreement

History
artifact, diary, government report, interview, letter, map, news report, oral
history, organizational records, photograph, speech, work of art

Law
code, statute, court opinion, legislative report

Literature
contemporary review, interview, letter, manuscript, personal account, published
work

Music
contemporary review, letter, personal account, score, sound recording

Psychology
case study, clinical case report, experimental replication, follow-up study,
longitudinal study, treatment outcome study

Sociology
cultural artifact, interview, oral history, organizational records, statistical data,
survey