There is no better way to study the past than through consultation of original, primary source documents produced during the time period or event being studied. Scholars and historians agree that the study of primary sources is the core of any serious historical research.
What are primary and secondary sources?
A primary source is original material, such as a first-hand account of an event by a participant or an eyewitness. Official government records and publications are also primary sources. Secondary sources analyze, evaluate, or interpret primary source material. Some examples of primary and secondary sources are:
|
Primary Source |
Secondary Source |
|
Autobiography, memoirs, diaries, letters, etc., written by an individual |
Book about an individual (biography) |
|
Transcript of a Presidential speech |
Newspaper commentary on a Presidential speech |
|
Text of a court decision |
Book that analyzes or explains court decisions on a particular topic |
|
Congressional Record |
Journal article summarizing recent events in Congress |
|
Description of the 9/11 terrorist attack by someone who witnessed or survived it |
Book on national security since the 9/11 attack |
Search the library catalog to find primary source material: do a keyword search for your topic and add one of the words below as a second keyword:
correspondence
diaries
interviews
manuscripts
narratives
sources
speeches
letters
documents