What Are Historical Sources?
There are two main types of historical source:
- Primary Sources and Secondary Sources
- A Primary source is something that originates from the past.
A Roman coin that was made by the Romans is a Primary Source, but a drawing of a Roman coin made in 2003 would be a Secondary Source.
OR
A Book written about the Tudors in 1525 would be a Primary Source, but a book written about the Tudors in 1995 would be a Secondary Source.
Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources
When searching for information on a topic, it is important to understand the value of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.
Primary sources allow researchers to get as close as possible to original ideas, events, and empirical research as possible. Such sources may include creative works, first hand or contemporary accounts of events, and the publication of the results of empirical observations or research. We list sources for historical primary documents.Secondary sources analyze, review, or summarize information in primary resources or other secondary resources. Even sources presenting facts or descriptions about events are secondary unless they are based on direct participation or observation. Moreover, secondary sources often rely on other secondary sources and standard disciplinary methods to reach results, and they provide the principle sources of analysis about primary sources.
Tertiary sources provide overviews of topics by synthesizing information gathered from other resources. Tertiary resources often provide data in a convenient form or provide information with context by which to interpret it.
The distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources can be ambiguous. An individual document may be a primary source in one context and a secondary source in another. Encyclopedias are typically considered tertiary sources, but a study of how encyclopedias have changed on the Internet would use them as primary sources. Time is a defining element.
While these definitions are clear, the lines begin to blur in the different discipline areas.
In the humanities
and social sciences, primary sources are the direct evidence or
first-hand accounts of events without secondary analysis or
interpretation. A primary source is a work that was created or written
contemporary with the period or subject being studied. Secondary sources
analyze or interpret historical events or creative works.
Primary sources
- Diaries
- Interviews
- Letters
- Original works of art
- Photographs
- Speeches
- Works of literature
A primary source is an original document containing firsthand information about a topic. Different fields of study may use different types of primary sources.
Secondary sources
- Biographies
- Dissertations
- Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies (used to locate a secondary source)
- Journal articles
- Monographs
A secondary source
contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. The most
important feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources.
Tertiary sources
- Dictionaries
- Encyclopedias
- Handbooks
A tertiary source
presents summaries or condensed versions of materials, usually with
references back to the primary and/or secondary sources. They can be a
good place to look up facts or get a general overview of a subject, but
they rarely contain original material.
Examples
| Subject | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art | Painting | Critical review of the painting | Encyclopedia article on the artist |
| History | Civil War diary | Book on a Civil War Battle | List of battle sites |
| Literature | Novel or poem | Essay about themes in the work | Biography of the author |
| Political science | Geneva Convention | Article about prisoners of war | Chronology of treaties |
