What are Primary Sources?

What are Primary Sources?

Primary sources are documents or physical objects which were created--in many formats--during the time an event happened. We can think of it as a "first-hand testimony." Examples of primary sources:

• diaries, souvenir travel album, yearbooks, manuscripts, correspondence (now to include emails, blogs, tweets)
• interviews, medals, memorabilia
• government records, documents, reports, presidential papers, political pamphlet
• vital records (birth, marriage, death), court records, property records
• published results of cllinical trials, scientific experiments
• newspaper articles' first report on an event
• military reports, military rosters, military archival photos
• newspaper, news television, news radio broadcasts that contain first-hand information
• maps, photographs of an event, postcards, advertisements
• original works of art, music, literature, and performance
• artifacts--fossils, furniture, clothing, pottery, jewelry, models

Secondary sources offer evaluation, discussion, or analysis on primary sources and are usually created some time after the original time of the event. Examples of secondary sources:

• biographies
• books, magazine, journal, or newspaper articles about people or events
• editorials
• discussions, commentary, and analyses of primary sources
• book, film, theatre reviews
• literature reviews
• textbooks

The key to determining whether an item may be considered to be a primary source is to ask how soon after the event was the information recorded. This can be a problem with an autobiography, memoir, reminiscence, etc., if the author is working several years with only the memory of what happened. If you're not sure whether something is an acceptable primary source, ask your professor.

U.S. National Archives Administration home page provides helpful information when starting archival (primary source) research.

Examples with images from Adelphi Archives and Special Collections: