About Primary Sources

Primary and secondary sources can also be distinguished by how they relate to the original event. The further removed in time the source is from the event, the more likely it is to be a secondary source.
Primary sources...	Secondary sources...
~ are uninterpreted sources of information. ~ allow you to examine evidence firsthand without being affected by other intermediary opinions. ~ allow you to draw comparisons between your assessments and the conclusions of others. ~ may be scattered and disorganized. ~ are sometimes described by their formats (e.g., letters and diaries as opposed to books).	~ interpret the "primary" literature, or guide readers to the primary material. ~ make information more accessible by repackaging it in a more accessible form ~ are far removed from the original event. ~ are sometimes described by their formats (e.g., books, journals, textbooks, anthologies, etc.)
Examples of primary sources	Examples of secondary sources
Autobiographies Diaries Documents Eyewitness accounts Film footage Laws Letters Newspaper articles Novels Objects from the time Oral histories Photographs Poems, art, music Speeches	Biographies Encyclopedias History books Textbooks