Primary and Secondary Sources

PRIMARY SOURCES

Primary sources are those created by direct observation. The writers were participants or observers in the events they describe. Primary sources include:
•    autobiographies   
•    logs
•    diaries   
•    eyewitness accounts
•    interviews   
•    letters
•    historical records   
•    journals and documents

•   oral histories   
•   statistics
•   photos taken at the scene    
•   surveys
•   maps prepared by direct      
•   blogs observation

SECONDARY SOURCES

Secondary sources were written by people with indirect knowledge. These writers relied on primary sources or other secondary sources for their information. Secondary sources include:
 

• almanacs
• book reviews
• critical analyses
• explanations
• indexes
• literary criticism
• web pages

Primary sources are not necessarily better (or worse) than secondary sources. Primary Sources:

•   provide facts and viewpoints that may not be available from other sources;
•   often have an immediacy and freshness that secondary sources lack;
•   may be affected by the author's bias. Secondary Sources:
•   may offer a broader perspective than primary sources;
•   tend to be less immediate than primary sources;
•   may be affected by the author's bias.

Most effective research papers often use a mix of both primary and secondary sources. For example, a research paper on the history of comic books might include primary sources such as interviews with industry editors, artists, and writers as well as their blogs. The writer will also use secondary sources such as web pages, books, magazine articles, and newspaper articles on the subject.
Other topics, in contrast, require more of one type of source material more than the other. A research paper on land use will likely draw data mainly from secondary sources. A paper on bilingual education might use mainly primary sources.
Always check with your instructor before you start your research to see if you must use a specific mix of primary and secondary sources.
You will need to evaluate each source individually, whether it is a primary source or a secondary source.