It is important to understand exactly what primary sources are. There are two broad definitions for the term "primary source:"
While most research projects must use a variety of source types, primary sources offer a unique perspective that can help you relate to events based on those who lived through them. They can offer multiple perspectives from unique points of view, help you contextualize your data, and allow you to make comparisons among different kinds of evidence.
Primary sources must always be checked for accuracy against secondary and tertiary (encyclopedic) material. Original observers may misremember, make mistakes, or - in extreme cases - fabricate information.
In addition to the definition changing based on context, primary sources can be challenging to find. They are often included as parts of large digital or physical collections of archives and museums, interspersed in books, or scattered in digital format throughout the Internet. Many library databases do not have an option that allows for direct searching of primary sources even if they contain them, though you will find primary sources in many different places once you learn a few search techniques. This guide will help you understand primary sources in their different contexts and provide strategies for finding them.
Page Contents:
Differences Between Primary and Secondary Sources
While in general a primary source is an original observation or data, and a secondary source is an analysis of primary sources, the differences can be much more nuanced than a simple definition allows. An item can even contain primary and secondary information at the same time, a phenomenon that is not uncommon in books and newspapers. Each source must be evaluated using its own characteristics. The chart below can help you decide if you are examining a primary or secondary source. Not all of the characteristics in either category will apply to every source.
| Primary | Secondary |
| Produced by or told from the point of view of the original source/observer/participant. | The source of information is at least one step removed from the original event. |
| May be in the first person or include exact quotes from an observer; can be subjective and personal. | Written in the second or third person, potentially with more objectivity. |
| May be isolated from a larger context; perspective may personal or limited to a small group. | Examines the original event or data amidst background, themes, and trends. |
| Reports on new findings; often with original data. | Contextualizes data among well-established knowledge, and within groups of similar studies. |
| Is descriptive and often raw or unfiltered. | Uses the original observations and raw data to analyze, synthesize, interpret, and/or evaluate, possibly along with additional primary source and/or other secondary sources. |
Another type of source that you should be aware of is the tertiary source. Tertiary sources are most easily thought of as encyclopedic resources and are used mainly for background reading, fact checking, and research preparation when you are not very familiar with the topic you are working on. Tertiary sources may present unanalyzed facts and/or summarize or digest information into basic, easy to understand narratives. They are particularly useful because they usually provide suggestions for more in-depth reading, sometimes in the form of bibliographies that point to primary and secondary sources. Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica are examples of tertiary sources.
Examples of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources
| Primary | Secondary | Tertiary |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|