What are primary sources?
Primary sources:
- provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation without evaluation or interpretation.
- contain the information from which a secondary or tertiary source is derived and are written by someone directly involved in the historical event or primary research.
- include original documents such as diaries, speeches, letters, audio transcripts, emails, autobiographies, and interviews
- include creative works such as photographs, novels, poetry, music, and artworks
How do I find a Primary Source?
- A primary source may be contained in a small piece of a larger secondary source. For example, a secondary source analyzing the Civil War may also include letters written by soldiers (primary source).
- Sometimes primary sources are scanned and the digital copies are included on historical websites.
- Sometimes several individual's letters or diaries are published together as a collection.
Source: University of Maryland Libraries
