Primary sources are records created or made by individuals who were present at an event in the past, for example, as a witness. This is differentiated from secondary sources, which are records made after the event has happened and have the benefit of hindsight when writing about a past event. The ability to examine original records (a.k.a. primary sources) allows us to clarify our understanding of past events.
Secondary sources potentially have bias and unconscious views that infuse how they talk about an given event. Secondary sources may discount the contribution made by individuals or groups of people. It is hard to know if this is happening in your source unless you can compare primary sources to secondary sources.
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| Photographs | Oral Histories | Letters |
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| Newspapers* | Books |
Analysis or Interpretation of Information
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*Newspapers can be considered a primary source in some disciplines and some contexts.
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