Subject and Class Guides: Research Process : Primary vs. Secondary Sources

A source is classified by whether the author is reporting on first hand experiences or relying on and interpreting the views of others.

Video: What is a Primary Source?

Posted with permission from the University of California San Diego Libraries.

Find Primary Sources in the Library

Search the OneSearch to find primary source material for your topic. Try adding one of the keywords below:

correspondence
diaries
early works
interviews
manuscripts
pamphlets
personal narratives
sources
speeches
letters
documents

You can also find primary sources in specific databases. Find a list of all databases containing primary sources on the Databases A-Z page or try some of our favorites here:

Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
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Searches these Gale databases: 17th and 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers, Eighteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers, and Sabin Americana.
History Vault This link opens in a new window
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JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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Comparison of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

When evaluating the quality of the information you are using, it is useful to identify if you are using a Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary source. By doing so, you will be able recognize if the author is reporting on his/her own first hand experiences, or relying on the views of others.

Source Type	Examples
Primary A first person account by someone who experienced or witnessed an event. This original document has not been previously published or interpreted by anyone else.	First person account of an event First publication of a scientific study or original research (many peer-reviewed and scholarly journal articles) Speech or lecture Original artwork Handwritten manuscript Letters between two people A diary Historical documents, e.g. Bill of Rights
Secondary One step removed from the primary original source. The author is analyzing, evaluating interpreting and forming conclusions based on the information that is conveyed in the primary source.	Newspaper reporting on a scientific study Review of a music CD or art show Biography
Tertiary Further removed from primary source. It leads the researcher to a secondary source, rather than to the primary source.	Bibliography Index to articles Library catalog

Source Type

Examples

Primary
A first person account by someone who experienced or witnessed an event. This original document has not been previously published or interpreted by anyone else.

First person account of an event
First publication of a scientific study or original research (many peer-reviewed and scholarly journal articles)
Speech or lecture
Original artwork
Handwritten manuscript
Letters between two people
A diary
Historical documents, e.g. Bill of Rights

Secondary
One step removed from the primary original source. The author is analyzing, evaluating interpreting and forming conclusions based on the information that is conveyed in the primary source.

Newspaper reporting on a scientific study
Review of a music CD or art show
Biography

Tertiary

Further removed from primary source. It leads the researcher to a secondary source, rather than to the primary source.

Bibliography
Index to articles
Library catalog