Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary sources are materials created at the time of an event. The author is describing their own research. 

• Autobiographies
• Diaries
• Interviews
• Letters
• Speeches

Examples of Primary Sources

Search Tips for Primary Sources

To search for primary sources, use the name of the subject and description of the source:

• "Mass incarceration" AND Speeches
• Feminists AND Diary
• "Gulf War Syndrome" AND Study
• "Hillary Clinton" AND Interview
• "Martin Luther King" AND Speech
   

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources interpret and analyze primary sources. Secondary sources reflect an author's opinion.

• Biographies
• Books
• Criticism
• Essays
• Histories
• Reviews

Examples of Secondary Sources

• Biographies
• Books that discuss or analyze a topic
• Commentaries
• Criticisms
• Encyclopedias
• Indexes and abstracts
• Journal or magazine articles from previous research
• Newspaper articles
• Reviews of art, books, movies, etc.
• Textbooks

Search Tips for Secondary Sources

To search for secondary sources, use the name of the subject and the description of the source:

• "Ain't I a woman?" AND Review
• "American Revolutionary War" and Book
• "Harriet Tubman" AND Biography
• "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" AND Criticism
• Terrorism AND Book