Primary and Secondary Sources: An Overview
What are Primary Sources?
A primary source is defined by the Society of American Archivists as, "material that contains firsthand accounts of events and that were created contemporaneous to those events or later recalled by an eyewitness." Therefore, correspondence between a Civil War soldier and his family would be a primary source because in the letters, a researcher would find first hand accounts of the Civil War, individual battles, camp life, and Nineteenth Century family life. However, a book written by a historian using those same letters would be considered a secondary source because it draws upon primary source documents, the correspondence, to describe the event from a secondary point of view.
What are Secondary Sources?
A secondary source is defined by the Society of American Archivists as, "a work that is not based on direct observation of or evidence directly associated with the subject but instead relies on sources of information." The term is used to describe materials that are not firsthand accounts of an event but instead rely on, or comment on, works that are primary sources. Secondary sources rely on primary sources, usually multiple primary sources, to draw conclusions about subjects, individuals, or events.
Grey Areas
There can be grey areas when determining if an item is a primary source or a secondary source. For example, newspaper journalists may interview eyewitnesses but not be actual eyewitnesses themselves. They also may have completed research to inform their story. Traditionally, however, newspapers are considered primary sources. The key, in most cases, is determining the origin of the document and its proximity to the actual event. Additionally, items do not have to be in their original format in order to be considered primary. For example, microfilmed copies of primary documents are still primary because they contain that primary information even though they are not the actual copies.
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources
Examples of common primary source formats can include: correspondence, emails, diaries, institutional records (minutes, memoranda, press releases, and contemporary publications), oral histories, contemporary newspaper articles, architectural plans, and contemporary visual materials. Books are the quintessential secondary source. Additional secondary sources may include essays, dissertations, documentaries, newspaper articles, and films. Again, the key is how far removed the materials are from the original event and if the materials draw on multiple primary sources to inform their content.
In order to best illustrate the differences and nuances of primary and secondary sources, the following examples are drawn from the Angela Morgan Papers or materials relating to the collection. The Angela Morgan Papers Angela Morgan Papers document the life and career of Angela Morgan; an American Poet and peace activist. She was a member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and a participant at the International Congress of Women at The Hague in 1915.
Women's Peace Party letter discussing travel plans to the International Congress of Women at the Hague dated April 1915.
Folder "Correspondence, April 11,1915-April 30, 1915 [3-10]," Box 3, Angela Morgan Papers
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The example at left is a manuscript from the Angela Morgan Papers. Manuscript is an archival word used to refer generally to unpublished archival materials. The correspondence is dated April 8th 1915 and was sent from the Women's Peace Party National Office in Chicago, Illinois. The letter conveys details of Miss Morgan's travel plans to the Women's International Congress at the Hague. Other participants are referred to; including the well-known social activist Jane Addams. From this letter, a researcher could gather such primary information as departure dates, ship names, participant names, and general information about correspondence from the period.
Handwritten poem composed by Angela Morgan on the back of Hotel WoodStock Stationary.
Folder, "Afterglow, 1918, [29-10]" Box 29, Angela Morgan Papers
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The manuscript examples on the right are the front and back views of a handwritten, unpublished poem composed by Angela Morgan which she titled Afterglow. From this primary resource, a researcher could ascertain where Angela Morgan was when she composed the poem, her handwriting style, and some insight into her literary process.
Visual materials are those items which convey information in a visual manner. They can include photographs, art, prints, and film. A visual resource can be a primary source if it meets the definition of being contemporary and containing first hand information about an event. The photograph at left is also from the Angela Morgan Papers. It documents a cooking class at the Boston Training School for Wives. From this primary source photograph, a researcher might gather information regarding Nineteenth Century dress and hairstyles, cookery, and photographic methods, among other information.
Cooking Class at the Boston Training School for Wives
Folder "Boston Training School for Wives," Box 55, Angela Morgan Papers
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Newspaper articles, although often written after an event has occurred, are traditionally considered a primary source. The newspaper article at left reports on the efforts of the International Congress of Women's to hold 10,000 simultaneous mass meeting for peace across the nation on November 8, 1915. The meetings were arranged and headed by Jane Adams of Chicago, Illinois; Rosika Schwimmer of Budapest; Chrystal Macmillan of London; and Rebecca Shelley of Chesaning, Michigan.
Folder, "Newspaper Clippings, 1915 [18-22]," Box 18, Angela Morgan Papers
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The book at the left is a secondary source from the Bentley Historical Library's collection. It was published in 1973 and focuses on the subject of peace movements in America. It is a secondary source because the author drew on multiple primary sources, or other secondary sources to comment on the events and subjects he covers. The book is about peace movements, such as the one in which Angela Morgan and the International Congress of Women were a part of in the early Twentieth Century, however, it also comments on peace movements in other decades.
Peace Movements in America Charles Chatfield, Editor.
Chatfield, Charles, ed., Peace Movements in America, New York: Schocken Books, 1973, BHL Call Number DA 2 B763 P355
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This online subject guide was created in Winter 2010 by Emily Sanford, graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Information.