Research Basics - All Subjects

Primary Sources in Social Science and the Humanities

A primary source of information is a record of an event as described or experienced by someone who witnessed or was part of the event as it was happening.

Types of primary sources include:

• diaries and journals
• letters
• interviews
• speeches
• newspaper and magazine eye-witness accounts
• photos, images, and cartoons
• autobiographies
• film and video footage of an event as it occurred
• documents contemporary to the time produced by governments and organizations
• public opinion polls from the time period under study
• archaeological artifacts
• maps 

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Whereas primary sources refer to sources created by people directly involved with an event or phenomenon, the term secondary source refers to any other source that provides commentary or critique regarding a primary source. Secondary sources include the following items:

• journal articles that comment on a primary source
• journal articles that synthesize prior research
• books that analyze primary sources and research on a topic
• any kind of literary criticism
• textbooks
• encyclopedias
• biographies (not autobiographies)
• newspaper editorial/opinion pieces

Finding Primary Sources

Find primary sources in library catalogs and other searchable online databases by combining subject terms with some of the following keywords describing primary sources:

• autobiography
• correspondence
• diaries
• interviews
• pamphlets
• personal narratives
• sources
• speeches