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Primary Sources: Primary Sources

A short guide to finding primary sources from library databases and reliable internet sites.
Primary sources provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic or question under investigation.  They are usually created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented.  These sources may be created at the time of an event or they may be recorded by eyewitnesses much later on.

The 3 Types of Sources

An open diary with handwritten entries.

Primary Sources

A primary source is created by someone with firsthand information about an event, location, discovery, or creation--or it contains their direct, firsthand knowledge.

Primary sources may include:

  • maps 
  • artwork
  • interviews
  • official laws
  • autobiographies
  • letters or diaries
  • original research
  • photographs or recordings

A person who witnesses a battle and writes about it is creating a primary source because that person has direct knowledge of the battle. An interview of that person is also a primary source because the interview contains the witness' firsthand knowledge.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources