Primary vs. Secondary Sources Review

Primary Source

  • Primary sources are materials that are firsthand and connected to a historical event, because they were created at the time of the event and/or involve someone who participated firsthand

Primary Source Examples:

  • Letters
  • Speeches
  • Diaries
  • Newspaper articles
  • Interviews
  • Memoirs


  • Autobiographies
  • Documents
  • Government records
  • Magazine articles
  • Artifacts


  • Clothing
  • Film footage
  • Photographs
  • Art
  • Maps

sECONDARY sOURCE

  • Secondary sources are materials created after a historical event has occurred and can be any materials that analyze and/or describe primary sources.

Secondary Source Examples:

  • Textbooks
  • Encyclopedias
  • Magazines
  • Biographies
  • Reference books
  • Non-fiction history books


  • Scholarly journals
  • Newspaper articles
  • Dissertations
  • Documentaries
  • Websites
  • Reenactments