| Primary |
Original documents created or experienced concurrently with the event being researched. |
First hand observations, contemporary accounts of the event. Viewpoint of the time. |
Interviews, news footage, data sets, original research, speeches, diaries, letters, creative works, photographs |
| Secondary |
Works that analyze, assess, or interpret a historical event, an era, or a phenomenon. Generally uses primary sources. |
Interpretation of information, usually written well after an event. Offers reviews or critiques. |
Research studies, literary criticism, book reviews, biographies, textbooks |
|
| Tertiary |
Sources that identify, locate, and synthesize primary AND secondary sources. |
Reference works, collections of lists of primary and secondary sources, finding tools for sources. |
Encyclopedias, bibliographies, dictionaries, manuals, textbooks, fact books |
