What is a primary source?

The original document, work of art, lab report, interview, etc. There has been no evaluation or interpretations of the material. It’s what research is based off of.

• Examples:

  • Artifacts (e.g. coins, plant specimens, fossils, furniture, tools, clothing, all from the time under study);

  • Audio recordings (e.g. radio programs)

  • Diaries;

  • Internet communications on email, listservs;

  • Interviews (e.g., oral histories, telephone, e-mail);

  • Journal articles published in peer-reviewed publications;

  • Letters;

  • Newspaper articles written at the time;

  • Original Documents (i.e. birth certificate, will, marriage license, trial transcript);

  • Patents;

  • Photographs

  • Proceedings of Meetings, conferences and symposia;

  • Records of organizations, government agencies (e.g. annual report, treaty, constitution, government document);

  • Speeches;

  • Survey Research (e.g., market surveys, public opinion polls);

  • Video recordings (e.g. television programs);

  • Works of art, architecture, literature, and music (e.g., paintings, sculptures, musical scores, buildings, novels, poems).

http://www.lib.umd.edu/tl/guides/primary-sources#primary