RESOURCES
Primary and Secondary Sources: how to tell them apart
What are Primary Sources?
Primary sources are materials directly related to a topic by time or participation. In other words, either it originated in that time period (i.e., a contemporaneous newspaper article), or was recalled by someone at a later date but who lived during that time period (i.e., an autobiography). These materials include letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles from the time, oral history interviews, documents, photographs, artifacts, or anything else that provides firsthand accounts about a person or event.
Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during a historical event or time period. A primary source reflects the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer. Many primary sources are unique and can only be found in one library or manuscript collection in the world. Fortunately, many have also been copied onto microfilm, published, reissued, translated, or, in some instances, published digitally on the web. Remember, however, your best source may not be on the web.
Some examples of primary sources include:
What are Secondary Sources?
A secondary source is a work that interprets or analyzes an event or phenomenon well after the fact. It is generally at least one step removed from the event. An article about the diary of Anne Frank or book written in 1990 exploring the history of the Vietnam war, would be considered a secondary source since it would be written later looking back at the event. Frank’s writings themselves or a news article written during the Vietnam war would be considered primary.
Primary sources are materials directly related to a topic by time or participation. In other words, either it originated in that time period (i.e., a contemporaneous newspaper article), or was recalled by someone at a later date but who lived during that time period (i.e., an autobiography). These materials include letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles from the time, oral history interviews, documents, photographs, artifacts, or anything else that provides firsthand accounts about a person or event.
Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during a historical event or time period. A primary source reflects the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer. Many primary sources are unique and can only be found in one library or manuscript collection in the world. Fortunately, many have also been copied onto microfilm, published, reissued, translated, or, in some instances, published digitally on the web. Remember, however, your best source may not be on the web.
Some examples of primary sources include:
- Books, magazine and newspaper articles published at the time
- Hand-written documents like diaries and journals
- Maps
- Laws & court cases
- Speeches, interviews, letters
- Memoirs and autobiographies
- Literary manuscripts
- Records of government agencies
- Records of organizations
- Public opinion polls
- Fiction from a particular time and place
- Research data
- Religious or philosophical texts
- Artifacts of all kinds: physical objects, furniture, tools, clothing, etc.
- Photographs, audio recordings, movies and videos
- Art, including paintings, prints and other media
What are Secondary Sources?
A secondary source is a work that interprets or analyzes an event or phenomenon well after the fact. It is generally at least one step removed from the event. An article about the diary of Anne Frank or book written in 1990 exploring the history of the Vietnam war, would be considered a secondary source since it would be written later looking back at the event. Frank’s writings themselves or a news article written during the Vietnam war would be considered primary.
A selection of sites that could provide primary sources for your essay assignments
NOTE: This selection is not exhaustive, and you may be able to find other sources that would be more focused or relevant to your topic.
GENERAL MEDIA HISTORY ARCHIVES
http://mediahistoryproject.org (General Media History digital archive)
https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html (Library of Congress [LOC] American history and culture)
PERIODICALS
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov (LOC archive of newspapers)
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=4pF9x-cDGsoC (Register Guard historical archive)
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=harpersweekly (Harper’s Weekly)
http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000061498 (Harper’s from the Hathi Trust)
RADIO
https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio
http://www.radiolovers.com
http://www.oldradioworld.com
MUSIC
http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/playlists
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/hasm/ (historical sheet music)
PHOTOGRAPHY
http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/photography.html (historical photo collection)
ADVERTISEMENTS
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/ads/online.html (resources for advertising history)
http://guides.library.yale.edu/c.php?g=295868&p=1975423 (same thing from Yale)
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/advertising/ (Advertising history from Duke University)
FILM AND VIDEO
https://www.loc.gov/film-and-videos/collections/ (Film & Video collection LOC)
http://mediahistoryproject.org (General Media History digital archive)
https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html (Library of Congress [LOC] American history and culture)
PERIODICALS
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov (LOC archive of newspapers)
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=4pF9x-cDGsoC (Register Guard historical archive)
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/serial?id=harpersweekly (Harper’s Weekly)
http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000061498 (Harper’s from the Hathi Trust)
RADIO
https://archive.org/details/oldtimeradio
http://www.radiolovers.com
http://www.oldradioworld.com
MUSIC
http://www.loc.gov/jukebox/playlists
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/hasm/ (historical sheet music)
PHOTOGRAPHY
http://www.archives.gov/research/alic/reference/photography.html (historical photo collection)
ADVERTISEMENTS
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/ads/online.html (resources for advertising history)
http://guides.library.yale.edu/c.php?g=295868&p=1975423 (same thing from Yale)
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/advertising/ (Advertising history from Duke University)
FILM AND VIDEO
https://www.loc.gov/film-and-videos/collections/ (Film & Video collection LOC)