Primary sources are immediate, first-hand accounts, or, original documents, objects, or information that were created or written at the time of an event or topic. Primary sources are the most direct evidence of an event or time because they were created by people or things that were present at the time. Primary sources can include: historical and legal documents; eye witness accounts (often featured in newspapers); results of experiments; statistical data; creative writing; art objects; audio and visual recordings; speeches; interviews, surveys, and fieldwork; internet communications via email, blogs, listservs, and newsgroups.
, u. (1915). Commencement procession. : Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Secondary sources are once-removed from primary sources, though they often use material and quote primary sources. Secondary sources can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis. Secondary sources look like: books about specific topics; analysis or interpretation of data; scholarly articles—especially by people not directly involved; documentaries— though they often include primary source materials like photos and videos.
BUT, CAN A PRIMARY SOURCE BE CONSIDERED A SECONDARY SOURCE (and vice versa)?
Why, yes. Good question! Whether something is a primary or secondary source often depends on the topic and use. For example, a physics textbook would be considered a secondary source if in the field of physics, since it describes and interprets the science but makes no original contribution to it. On the other hand, if the topic is science education and the history of science textbooks, a physics textbook could be used as primary source to consider how they have changed over time.
Woodcock, J. (1989). Textbooks. : Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
WPI's Archives and Special Collections offer great resources for primary sources. To learn more about the Archives' collections or to schedule a visit to the Archives, please fill out their contact form or e-mail archives@wpi.edu.
Many primary source documents are republished in books, or even referenced within books on historical topics. To find these books, search WPI Library Search for books about your topic and add keywords like sourcebook, documents, primary sources, or documentary history to your search terms.
Here are some examples of books containing primary sources:
History of Science and Technology:
Candid Science: Conversations with Famous Chemists by 
Candid Science III: More Conversations with Famous Chemists by 
A Documentary History of Biochemistry, 1770-1940 by 
Environmental Issues in American History by 
A Hammer in Their Hands: A Documentary History of Technology and the African-American Experience by 
Media Revolution: Early Prints from the Sheldon Museum of Art by 
Object Lessons: The Visualisation of Nineteenth-Century Life Sciences by 
The Scopes Trial: A Brief History with Documents by 
Stripped Bare: The Art of Animal Anatomy by American History:
Debating the Issues in Colonial Newspapers: Primary Documents on Events of the Period by 
Documenting American Violence: A Sourcebook by 
The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle by European History:
The Great Exhibition, 1851: A Sourcebook by Paris under the Commune The Seventy-Three Days of the Second Siege; with Numerous Illustrations, Sketches Taken on the Spot, and Portraits (from the Original Photographs) by Asian History:
New Women in Colonial Korea: A Sourcebook by 
Sourcebook in Shinto: Selected Documents by Social History:
Documenting First Wave Feminisms: Vol. 1, Transnational Collaborations and Crosscurrents by 
Documenting First Wave Feminisms: Vol. 2, Canada - National and Transnational Contexts by 
Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources by Search full text and images 1851-2021 including news, illustrations, editorials, and advertisements.
Early English Books Online (EEBO) is the definitive online collection of early printed works in English. With over 125,000 titles from before 1700, the EEBO contains virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700.
This HeinOnline collection brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery.
To find primary sources via Google, try adding keywords like journals, papers, letters, documents, primary sources, or documentary history to your search terms. Primary sources can often be found on library, museum, and government websites.
