Primary vs.

Secondary Sources

How can you identify these?
Primary Sources
provide direct or firsthand evidence about an
event, object, person, or work of art.
were present during an experience or time
period and offer an inside view of a
particular event.

are factual not interpretive.
Examples of Primary Sources
Letters, diary entries & personal narratives
Interviews & speeches
Historical & legal documents
Artifacts & creative works (music & poetry)
Statistics, surveys, & pamphlets
Audio & video recordings
Examples of Primary Sources
Internet communications via email, blogs,
listservs & newsgroups are also primary sources!
Questions to ask about a source:
How does the author know these details, such as
names, dates, and times?
Was the author present at the event or soon on
the scene?
Where does this information come from
personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or
reports written by others?
Secondary Sources
describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon,
analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process
primary sources.
provide a second-hand account of an historical
event

interpret creative work.
Examples of Secondary Sources
Journal articles that interpret previous findings
Encyclopedia articles
Literary criticisms
Biographies
Book, art, movie and theater reviews
Question to ask about a source:
Are the author's conclusions based on a single
piece of evidence, or have many sources been
taken into account, such as diary entries, third-
party eyewitness accounts and impressions?


Why Studs Terkel's Working
World No Longer Exists
by Stuart N. Brotman

Example of a journal article that interprets
and analyzes American work ethic

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/06/12/why-
studs-terkels-working-world-no-longer-exists/

Primary Source Secondary Source
Literature
Song of Myself (Poem)
Journal article about the
poems historical importance
Psychology
Results of clinical trial to
treat ADD by modifying diet
Book about ways to treat
childhood ADD without
drugs
Politics and
Government
U.S. Census Statistics
Book about suburban
population changes in U.S.
History
Recorded interview with
Choctaw American Indian
Journal article about Native
Americans who served in
WWII
Social Science
Diary of Anne Frank
Book about diaries kept
during the Holocaust
Art
Photographs by Diane Arbus
Magazine article about 20th
century female
photographers
Work Cited
Thomas, Susan. "Primary vs. Secondary Sources."
Research Help - Primary vs. Secondary Sources.
BMCC Library, 14 May 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.