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Primary Sources

This guide explains what primary sources are, how to find them, and teaching with primary sources.

What is a Primary Source?

A primary source is an original, first-hand or contemporary account of an event or topic. Primary sources are original, first-hand accounts of an event, from people who had a direct connection with it.

Primary sources can include:

  • Texts of laws and other original documents
  • Newspaper reports created by reporters who witnessed an event or who quote people who did
  • Speeches, diaries, memoirs, letters and interviews
  • Original research
  • Datasets or survey data, such as census or economic statistics
  • Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event

How are Primary Sources different from Secondary Sources?

Watch the video (3:17) below to learn:

  • the difference between primary and secondary sources
  • how primary sources can be used in research.