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Primary and Secondary Sources

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Primary and Secondary Sources

The terms primary (first hand) and secondary (second hand) refer to the degree to which the author of the material experienced the event being described.

Primary Sources

Primary sources are written by someone who personally experienced or witnessed the event or information being described. These original documents are not about another document or account, nor are they an interpretation of another source.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources. They are not direct evidence, but commentary and discussion of evidence. Secondary source materials interpret and draw conclusions about the events reported in primary sources.

Is My Source Primary or Secondary?

When evaluating primary or secondary sources, determine how the author knows the details being described.

Was the author present at the event, or are the author’s conclusions based on evidence from many different sources?
- If the author is speaking from personal experience, it’s a primary source.
- If the author’s knowledge is based on reports written by others, it’s a secondary source.

Here are some examples:

Primary Sources

Autobiographies, diaries, or memoirs
Letters
Collections of documents, or original copies
Recordings of speeches
News articles or film footage
Creative works
Relics or artifacts
Articles reporting NEW research

Secondary Sources

Textbooks
History or research books
Critical or commentary works
Reviews
Magazine articles based on others' findings
Journal articles which review or revisit previous research
Interpretations

Where Can I Find Primary sources?

Library Resources

American History Online (FoF) This link opens in a new window Timelines, biographies, videos, primary sources, maps, and more
CINAHL This link opens in a new window Academic and professional journals, magazines, books, theses, and CEUs for Nursing and allied health professions.
CQ Press Library This link opens in a new window Reference works and data sets on American government, current affairs, history, politics, and public policy. Create your own spreadsheets using government data. Recommended for the social sciences at all levels.
Medline with Full Text This link opens in a new window MEDLINE with Full Text provides the authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, and pre-clinical sciences found on MEDLINE, plus the database provides full text for more than 1,470 journals indexed in MEDLINE.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window Scholarly articles, News articles and Audio-visual content, Opinions, Primary sources, Reference, and Websites on topics of social interest. Scholarly content and general reader. Recommended for argumentative research.
PsycARTICLES This link opens in a new window Full text, peer reviewed, scholarly, and scientific journals on all aspects of psychology.

Additional Resources

You can also find primary sources through a variety of websites. Check out Primary Sources on our History LibGuide to find out more!

Looking for scientific primary sources? Visit this handy guide.

Primary Source Highlights
From the Library of Congress. Good for primary sources in American cultural and political history.
Primary Sources Sets
From Library of Congress. Useful for educators.

Primary Sources in Science

When working in science and medical research, primary sources are a little different from what you look for in other fields. You'll want to find original research, where the authors actually did the tests, experiments, or observations themselves. The easiest way to find these types of resources is to filter your results by Publication Type, Methodology, and/or Document Type. Here are some things to look for:

Case Study/Report
Clinical Trial/Study/Report
Observational Study
Empirical Research/Study/Report
Field Study

Where can I find scientific primary sources?

CINAHL This link opens in a new window
Use the Publication Type section to limit your search by the following primary sources: Case Study, Clinical Trial
Medline with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Use the Publication Type section to limit your search to these primary source types: Adaptive Clinical Trial, Case Reports, Case Study, Clinical Study, Clinical Trial, Observational Study
PsycARTICLES This link opens in a new window
Use the Methodology section to limit your search by the following primary sources: Clinical Case Study, Clinical Trial, Empirical Study, Field Study
ScienceDirect (Elsevier) This link opens in a new window
Use the Article Type filter on the Search Results to limit your search to: Research Articles, Case Reports, Data Articles, Examinations