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- Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented.
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What is a primary source?
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Apr 14, 2024 · Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented.
- What Is A Primary Source?
- What Is A Secondary Source?
- Primary and Secondary Source Examples
- How to Tell If A Source Is Primary Or Secondary
- Primary vs Secondary Sources: Which Is Better?
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A primary source is anything that gives you direct evidence about the people, events, or phenomena that you are researching. Primary sources will usually be the main objects of your analysis. If you are researching the past, you cannot directly access it yourself, so you need primary sources that were produced at the time by participants or witness...
A secondary sourceis anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information from primary sources. Common examples include: 1. Books, articles and documentariesthat synthesize information on a topic 2. Synopses and descriptionsof artistic works 3. Encyclopedias and textbooksthat summarize information and ideas 4. Reviews and essayst...
Examples of sources that can be primary or secondary
A secondary source can become a primary source depending on your research question. If the person, context, or technique that produced the source is the main focus of your research, it becomes a primary source.
To determine if something can be used as a primary or secondary source in your research, there are some simple questions you can ask yourself: 1. Does this source come from someone directly involved in the events I’m studying (primary) or from another researcher (secondary)? 2. Am I interested in evaluating the sourceitself (primary) or only using ...
Most research uses both primary and secondary sources. They complement each other to help you build a convincing argument. Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but secondary sources show how your work relates to existing research. Tertiary sourcesare often used in the first, exploratory stage of research.
If you want to know more about ChatGPT, AI tools, citation, and plagiarism, make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.
Mar 30, 2020 · In research and academics, a primary source refers to information collected from sources that witnessed or experienced an event firsthand. These can be historical documents , literary texts, artistic works, experiments, journal entries, surveys, and interviews.
- Richard Nordquist
Apr 8, 2024 · A primary source is an eyewitness account of an event or data obtained through original statistical or scientific research. What are some examples of primary sources? Diaries. Letters. Speeches. Photographs. Official records (government reports, transcripts, court records, death certificates, etc.)
- Susan McElrath
- 2019
Apr 12, 2024 · Primary sources provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic or question under investigation. They are usually created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented.
- Michael Engle
- 2014
Mar 1, 2024 · Primary sources are original materials that provide direct evidence or first-hand testimony concerning a topic or event -- firsthand records created by people who actually participated in or remembered an event and reported on the event and their reactions to it.
Nov 8, 2023 · Primary sources vary by discipline and can include historical and legal documents, diaries, letters, family records, speeches, interviews, autobiographies, film, government documents, eye witness accounts, results of an experiment, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, and art objects.
