What's the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?
Answer
A primary source is a firsthand account or original resource directly related to an event, object, or person.
Examples of primary sources include:
- Interviews
- Newspaper articles published at the time (typically include interviews)
- Statistical data and experiment/study results
- Books (autobiographies are primary; biographies are secondary)
- Speeches
A secondary source is a work that analyzes or discusses an event or person after the fact.
Examples of secondary sources include:
- Books (autobiographies are primary; biographies are secondary)
- Journal articles
- Textbooks