Research Guides: English 100: Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary and Secondary Sources

Learning to Identify Primary Sources vs Secondary Sources

Primary resources

–Created by people who actually saw or participated in an event, or recorded their reactions immediately afterwards.

Secondary resources

–Created by someone not present when the event took place or removed by time from the event.

If you have questions or need help, contact Common's Reference Desk in Helm (270 745-6125) or your subject specialist librarian.

How to Identify a Primary Source

It's actually pretty easy to tell if an a resource is a primary source or not, despite the definition of a primary source being slightly different depending on your field of study. Education's definition of a Primary Source is that it is Empirical Material Concerning Research Being Conducted (Usually a Survey, or Study). History, Folklore and other Humanities' definition of a Primary Source is Empirical Material which is left as a first hand account of an event (written or otherwise).

A Primary Source is:

Any kind of Empirical (Observed) Data:

Case Studies, Studies, Surveys

Written observations of an event/class/reaction/etc.

An original object or document

First hand account or information

Direct Evidence

Primary Sources are the evidence of history, original records or objects created by participants or observers at the time historical events occurred or even well after the events, as in memoirs and oral histories.

Examples of Primary Sources:

Diaries

Letters

Manuscripts

Speeches

Interviews

Documents produced by Government Agencies

Photographs

Audio or video recordings

Research Data

Objects or artifacts (Works of art, buildings tools, blueprints, weapons, tools, etc.)

Newspapers

Journals

A Secondary Source is:

A Source that was written about primary sources at a later date (after the event)

Examples of Secondary Sources:

A Biography (a written account of another person's life)

Textbooks

Reference Books (Encyclopedias, etc.)

Articles in newspapers based on past events

Magazines

Reviews

Books or articles found that evaluate or criticize someone else's original research

Most Websites

WKU Writing Center Information

If you should have difficulties and need more help writing your annotated bibliography, please contact the folks at the Writing Center to make an appointment for someone to work with you one-on-one.