Primary & Secondary Primary & Secondary ResourcesResources

By

Mike Koshko & Caroline McCrossan

Which example is a Primary Resource?

A personal diary

A textbook

A.)

B.)

Primary Resources

an item is considered a primary resource if it is published at the time the event occurred by someone involved in the event

Secondary Resources

Secondary resources are edited primary sources. Therefore being a second-hand version. They represent someone else's thinking.

Primary resources enable the Primary resources enable the researcher to get as close as possible researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an to what actually happened during an historical event or time period. historical event or time period. 

•Person •Interview •E-Mail contact •Event •Discussion •Debate •Community Meeting •Survey •Artifact •Observation of object (animate and inanimate)

Secondary Resource Examples

Reference Material Book CD Rom Encyclopedia Magazine Newspaper Video Tape Audio Tape TV

Gray Areas

Very often, a resource can be defined as neither Primary nor Secondary

Oral history is most prominent in this area.

Example: A person who was at a said event first-hand.

vs.That same person that tells the story sometime after.

How will it help you?

As you pursue your final paper, both Primary & Secondary resources are essential to supporting what you wish to get across.

Our library at UML has many diaries, letters, and manuscripts along with newspaper articles and textbooks.