Primary Sources vs Secondary Sources What’s the difference and why it matters

What is a Primary Source? original records of the political, economic, artistic, scientific, social, and intellectual thoughts and achievements of specific historical periods. Produced by the people who participated in and witnessed the Event primary sources offer a variety of points of view and perspectives of events, issues, people, and places. the important thing to remember is they were used or created by someone with firsthand experience of an event

Examples of Primary Interviews Photographs Audio or video recordings Diaries Letters Memoirs Journals Speeches Manuscripts Statistical Data Interviews Photographs Audio or video recordings Research reports (natural or social sciences) Original literary or theatrical works

What is a Secondary Source? Informational works that comment on and interpret other works, such as primary sources. at least one step removed from the actual event Second Hand - conveys the experiences and opinions of others

Examples of Primary Journal articles Books Radio and TV documentaries Textbooks ,discussions, Biographies class lectures

How can you tell the difference? Ask yourself some questions: How does the author know these details? Was the author present at the event or soon on the scene? Where does this information come from—personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports written by others? Are the author's conclusions based on a single piece of evidence, or have many sources been taken into account?