A secondary source is usually a published book or article by an author who was not an eyewitness or participant but is basing their interpretation of history on primary sources, research and study.
Secondary sources provide useful background information.
The best ones feature bibliographies used by the author(s) in their own research (look for primary sources recommended by the authors of your sources).
Examples of Secondary Sources
Biographies
History textbooks
Documentaries
Interviews with scholars
Books about the topic written by historians
Articles about the topic
Most web sites
A primary source is a piece of information about a historical event or period in which the creator of the source was an actual participant in or a contemporary of a historical moment.
The purpose of primary sources is to capture the words, the thoughts, and the intentions of the past.
Primary sources help interpret what happened and why it happened.
Examples can include: documents, artifacts, historic sites, speeches, songs, letters, journals, or other written and tangible items created during the historical period being researched.
Examples of Primary Sources
Diaries
Autobiographies
Government records
Photographs
Interviews with participants
Manuscript collections
Newspapers from the era
Letters
Music of the time period
Artifacts
Many more...
Click the words "Annotated Bibliography" to learn how to make a high-quality Annotated Bibliography!