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Primary Sources

Primary Sources vs. Secondary Sources

Primary Sources

A primary source are original documents created at the time being studied. These sources have not been modified by interpretation and offer original thought or new information. Primary sources are original materials, regardless of format.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources are works that interpret or analyze historical events or phenomena. One step removed from the subject, secondary sources are the result of someone else's contemplation and synthesis of primary sources.

Examples of Primary Sources

  • published books, newspapers and magazine clippings published at the time
  • archives and manuscript material photographs
  • audio recordings, video recordings, films
  • journals, letters, scrapbooks and diaries
  • speeches
  • government publications
  • oral histories
  • records of organizations
  • autobiographies and memoirs
  • artifacts, e.g. clothing, costumes, furniture
  • research data, e.g. public opinion polls

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