Primary Sources

What is a primary source?

A document or record containing firsthand information or original data. Primary sources allow researchers to get as close as possible to what actually happened because they are first-hand observations of a time, person or event.  They include documents, images or artifacts that contain original and non-analyzed information from the time period being researched.  They may be found in their original format or may have been reproduced at a later date.  Primary sources are the raw materials that help form the basis for critical analysis of a topic.

Primary sources are thought of differently across disciplines.

• Primary sources in the Humanities and Social Sciences
• Primary sources in the Sciences

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