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Primary/Secondary/Tertiary Sources: Home

What's the Difference?

A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time period that you are studying. These sources offer an inside view of a particular event. Some types of primary sources include:

  • ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS including diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records and/or government records, minutes from meetings, eyewitness accounts
  • CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art written during the time period
  • RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings or artwork

Examples:

 

Primary Source Secondary Source Tertiary Source
Winston Churchill's Speech: "We shall fight on the beaches" An article that contains excerpts from the speech and discusses the speech  Provide basic facts and starting point 
The Diary of Anne Frank Provides an analysis/interpretation of primary sources Examples include Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Articles
  Pieces of an interview appearing in another work (print, video, audio) Usually not citable in academic writing
No analysis or interpretation. Easier to use because more easily found.  The analysis and interpretation is given to you.  Filtered through author's lens which has inherent bias.  Lacks some contextualization. Simple to use and find on internet.

  

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Grad Coach. “Primary Secondary and Tertiary Sources.” YouTube. Accessed 20 July 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwZl6Y58s_s.

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