Primary source

A primary source is a historical document or artifact created during a particular period of time. Unlike secondary sources, which are secondhand accounts of historical events, primary sources provide researchers with information directly from the time period being studied. Examples of primary sources include letters, which often provide key details about everyday life; paintings, which, for example, can demonstrate the styles of clothing worn by people who lived at the time the paintings were created; and films, which frequently shed light on the cultural attitudes of the eras in which they were made.

Overview

When gathering information about historical periods, events, or figures, researchers rely on several types of sources. Primary sources are typically considered the most useful of these, as they provide direct insight into the lives of people who lived decades, centuries, or even millennia ago. A primary source is one that was created during the period being researched, rather than a secondhand retelling of events; however, a secondary source about a topic of historical interest can also be considered a primary source if it sheds light on the attitudes of its own creator and the era in which they lived. For example, a nineteenth-century book about the Vikings would be a secondary source for research about Vikings, but would be a primary source for research about the book's author or for a history of Viking studies itself. This interpretation may vary depending on the field of study.

Written documents are perhaps the best-known examples of primary sources, and can be divided into general categories. Literary or narrative sources are those that directly convey a message. These sources can be personal documents such as letters and diaries, which provide first-person accounts of events and details about everyday life, scientific or philosophical writings, newspapers and pamphlets, or works of fiction. Social documents are the next type of primary source, and typically include business documents such as deeds and account books, official reports such as censuses or tax documents, or other records kept by an organization or individual. These allow researchers to collect statistical data regarding property ownership, trade, demographic information, and other areas of life from the time period. The third category, diplomatic sources, includes documents such as laws and treaties that shed light on the internal politics and foreign policies of nations.

Numerous other artifacts can also be considered primary sources. Paintings, for instance, can provide a wealth of information to researchers. The use of shape, color, and symbolism in a painting can highlight important aspects of the artistic movement to which its artist belonged, and the ways in which these details differ from the norm can shed light on the personal style of the artist. In portraits and other paintings based on real-life people or events, the depictions of clothing, hairstyles, and other elements of physical appearance can demonstrate what the people of that era looked like. Films can often be considered a type of narrative source, providing insight into the cultural era in which they were made; even documentaries that would otherwise be secondary sources are primary sources for any examination of their creators. Other artifacts that can serve as primary sources include oral histories, statues, textiles, religious items, maps, and games.

Secondary sources such as histories and biographies are often based on multiple primary sources, distilling valuable information from numerous artifacts and presenting that information in a consolidated form. When primary sources are unavailable or insufficient, researchers or student writers may use secondary sources to supplement their research. However, primary sources are generally preferred as research tools, as they provide numerous details about the past without the intervening filter of scholarly analysis. At the same time, researchers must be aware that primary sources have their own flaws and limitations. Most notably, primary sources are always subject to the bias of the author or creator, which may distort facts subtly or significantly. Even supposedly objective sources such as tax records carry the bias of those in power and may censor or manipulate information intentionally or unintentionally.

Researchers using primary sources generally begin their work at a library or archive known to hold materials related to their topic of study. Because a primary source may be limited to a single copy, such as a handwritten diary, and materials pertinent to a given subject may be held by various institutions, the process of locating and examining relevant documents is a major part of much scholarly research. Efforts to make this process easier and more accessible to a larger and more diverse audience have focused on the digitization of archival material, making electronic copies or photographs of primary sources available online. Examples from the United States include the various online resources of the Library of Congress, such as the American Memory Collection, the Recorded Sound Reference Center, and the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog.

Bibliography

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