What is a Primary Source?
Primary sources offer an inside view of a particular event. They can be original records or objects created by participants and observers during the time the event occurred or shortly thereafter.
How to Use Primary Sources
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Using Primary Sources on the WebAmerican Library Association's guide to using primary sources.
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Library Research Using Primary SourcesBerkeley Library's guide to using primary sources.
General Examples of Primary Sources
- Original documents: autobiographies, diaries, e-mail, interviews, letters, minutes, news film footage, official records, photographs, raw research data, speeches, personal narratives, sources, memoirs, letters, dispatches, interviews, pamphlets, diaries, speeches, translations
- Creative works: art, drama, films, music, novels, poetry
- Relics or artifacts: buildings, clothing, DNA, furniture, jewelry, pottery
Specific Examples of Primary Sources
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Plato's Republic - justice and philosophy in ancient Greece
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The Declaration of Independence - U. S. history
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The Diary of Anne Frank - experiences of Jews in World War II
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Film footage of the assassination of President J. F. Kennedy - U.S. History
Last Updated: Nov 9, 2022 2:54 PM
URL: https://library.brockport.edu/primary
URL: https://library.brockport.edu/primary