Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Library Resource Guide

Primary Sources

Primary sources are first-hand or contemporary accounts of an event or topic. They enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during a historical event or time period. 

• Examples include oral histories, memoirs, letters, diaries, meeting minutes, photographs, artifacts, interviews, and sound or video recordings of an event. 
• Raw statistical data is also considered a primary source.
• If a primary source is digitized and made available online, the online version is still considered a primary source.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources add interpretation, analysis, or commentary to an event or phenomenon covered by primary sources. 

• Examples include criticisms, histories, and retrospective articles. They can be useful for understanding how a topic or event is or has been regarded by the media and society, if that information is within the scope of your project.