Defining Primary Sources
In general, primary sources are defined by their proximity to original information, experiences, or data. The specifics of primary sources differ depending on the subject area in which you are working.
This guide is focused on primary sources in the historical sense. To learn more about other kinds of primary sources, visit the following guides!
The Information Lifecycle
The Information Lifecycle models how information about an event, topic or idea might emerge and evolve over time.
Note that this timeline is just a starting point to give you a general sense -- the transmission of information is not linear, and can look very different across different disciplines!
Primary & Secondary Sources
A primary source is a first-hand witness to a historical event or period. Primary sources provide insights about the actions, motivations and emotions involved in a historical period, and allow us to understand history as it was experienced at the time rather than as we analyze it today.
Unlike with secondary sources, the value of primary sources lies in their proximity to the event rather than a particular publication venue and/or authority (though this can also play a role in your interpretation of the source). For this reason, primary sources may include a combination of scholarly, popular, unpublished, and other kinds of sources.
Secondary sources are second-hand witnesses -- they provide descriptions and/or analysis of historical events and documents after the fact. Secondary sources usually draw their information from primary sources, but add a layer of interpretation, and often rely upon the kind of understanding of historical periods and/or events that only becomes clear sometime later.
| PRIMARY | SECONDARY | |
|---|---|---|
| AUTHOR | A first-hand witness to a historical event or period | A second-hand witness who interprets first-hand information using later understanding of events |
| DATE | Typically, but not always, published in or near the relevant time period or event. Exceptions can include memoirs or compilations, translations, etc. published at a later date. | Typically removed in time from the relevant period/event |
| ORIGINAL PURPOSE | Varies widely. Typically not intentionally created for sake of history or research. | Varies; usually, to convey information or analysis |
| RESEARCH USE |
Offers first-hand perspectives untouched by hindsight or modern knowledge |
Offers descriptions, and/or analysis of historical events after the fact; may also offer synthesis of first-hand information. |
| PUBLICATION FORMAT | Varies; can include nearly anything from an object to a scholarly article [if from the appropriate period] | Typically "published" sources -- books, journal articles, magazines/newspapers |
| EXAMPLES | NYT article from April 1912 [Titanic], 1963 book on the USSR [Cold War], George Washington's collected papers [Colonial America/Revolution] | American Historical Review; current NYT articles; a book published in 2018 |
Evaluating & Using Primary Sources
Special Kinds of Primary Sources
Using Non-Textual Sources: A Historian's Guide
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History Beyond the Text: A Student's Guide to Approaching Alternative Sources
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Web As History: Using Web Archives to Understand the Past and the Present
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Oral History
Rethinking Oral History and Tradition: An Indigenous Perspective
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General Strategies
Who(se Voices)?
Similarly to academic articles, there are some very general tools that you can use to search primary sources broadly. However, it is usually more productive to work out in advance....
Who do you want to hear from...
This could be a perspective, a category of people, a specific group/organization, a geographic area or country, etc.
...And where are they?
Next, figure out where your voices "live" in the historical record. For example:
Remember: not all perspectives are represented equally in the historical record!
Where Are They?
Now, you need to determine where we have access to that part of the historical record.
Most primary source collections are categorized by some combination of...
See: Choosing a Search Tool
Choosing a Search Tool
As historical researchers, we might use...
The Library Catalog [or CrossSearch]
General (Article) Databases [or CrossSearch]
In order to choose an appropriate database, you should consider your research needs. What do you need at this point in time? Are you still becoming familiar with your topic, or are you trying to fill specific gaps?
For example, most primary source collections are categorized by date, geography, genre and/or topic. So if you are hoping to find news reports on the Nepalese Civil war, you need a resource that:
Sometimes you can't meet all of these conditions due to language, digitization or other barriers -- but the more, the better!
Not sure which tool to use? Ask a librarian or your professor!
Searching for Primary Sources
Looking for primary sources is a bit different than searching for academic articles -- here are some pro-tips!
Keywords:
When searching for primary sources, think carefully about the vocabulary you are using.
You may want to use the worksheet below to help you brainstorm and organize your research for primary sources:
Browsing:
Some research tools for historical sources lend themselves easily to precise searching; many do not. Commit to taking plenty of time with your sources and browsing through lists of results, even if what you're looking for doesn't rise immediately to the top. It may appear further down, or there may be other clues in your result that can help you correct your search in the right direction. Likewise, what you are looking for may be present but not immediately apparent -- that blurb about the shop you're researching, for instance, could be buried at the bottom of a vaguely-titled newspaper article covering many pieces of local news.
Because the phrasing (and digital scanning) of historical records is so variable, it's often more effective to keep your search simple, sort by date order, and let your own eyes take you the rest of the way!
