Primary sources are records of events as they are first described, usually by witnesses or people who were involved in the event. Many primary sources were created at the time of the event but can also include memoirs, oral interviews, or accounts that were recorded later.
Visual materials, such as photos, original artwork, posters, and films are important primary sources, not only fr the factual information they contain, but also for the insight they may provide into how people view their world. Primary sources may also include sets of data, such as census statistics, which have been tabulated but not interpreted. However, in the sciences or social sciences, primary sources report the results of an experiment.
Secondary sources 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 also use them to argue a contention or persuade the reader to hold a certain opinion. Examples of secondary sources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, books, and articles that interpret, analyze, or review research works.
| Subject | Primary | Secondary |
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History |
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| Art & Literature |
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| Communications & Journalism |
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| Political Science |
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| Science & Social Sciences |
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What makes a source primary or secondary depends a lot on the questions you are researching, the context, and the discipline (subject). The same type of source might be primary for one use or discipline and secondary in another.
Documentaries: When studying history, a documentary about the Vietnam War is a secondary source because it brings together many primary sources about the war and makes an argument about them. In contrast, in the field of journalism, a documentary that investigates current political corruption would be a primary source because it involves original investigation.
Newspaper Articles: A newspaper article discussing a speech by the Speaker of the House would typically be a second-hand account of that speech (the primary source) and therefore the article is a secondary source. However, if we want to know how the media portrayed the Speaker of the House, or if the speech was so long ago the newspaper article is the only evidence left, it becomes a primary source.
Commentary or Criticism: A review of a movie is typically a secondary source commenting on the film itself. However, if you are researching the critical reception of a film that review would become a primary source.
