Primary Source			Secondary Source
	First-hand evidence or eyewitness account of an event, circumstance or personality			Second-hand account of an event, circumstance, or personality made after the time period being recorded
	Tells about the event without adding any interpretation or commentary that may convey attitudes from a later time			Interprets, analyzes or explains a historical event and the evidence of that event
	Reflects the individual viewpoint or bias (a one-sided point of view) of the participant/recorder			Usually attempts to be objective and balanced, but may reflect the biases of the historian/recorder
	Reflects the biases and attitudes of the time period in which it was written or produced			Could convey the attitudes of the time period in which it was written or produced

Where do I find primary sources?

Primary sources can be found in many different media. The diary of a new immigrant, letters from a soldier at war, drawings or photographs of a new community, maps of a town, advertisements in newspapers and magazines, political speeches, business invoices and government census data are some examples of different kinds of primary source documents. They all may contain vital clues that historians could use to learn about a particular time period and better understand the past.

Whether or not you are able to touch the original artifact is not as significant. For example, the handwritten journal of an explorer and the published version of the same journal are both primary research materials. You can find original historical records in an archives or a library, published in a book or reproduced in digital format, such as the primary sources presented on the Ontario History Quest.

Are some primary resources “better” than others?

In evaluating a primary resource, it is a good idea to keep in mind the “time and space” rule. This means that the closer to the actual event, the more reliable the content, and the less likely that the information has been “filtered” by the recorder. For example, a primary resource can be the documents left behind by an event (e.g., a photograph), a person’s immediate account of the event (e.g., a letter or a journal) or someone’s recollections. But the reminiscences recorded many years after an event are probably less reliable than an eyewitness account recorded at the time of the event.

Key Questions

There are a number of questions that a history student or historian must consider when analyzing primary or secondary sources.

• What type of source is this, primary or secondary?
• What is the background of the person(s) who created the source?
• Why did the person(s) create the document?
• What is the historical context (time, place, and situation) within which it was created?
• What is the main idea expressed in the source? What are the key facts that support this idea?
• Is there a bias or one-sided point of view in the source? What are some key words or phrases that reveal the bias?
• What evidence does this source contribute to my research?

Applying your knowledge

Complete the review: Distinguishing Between Primary and Secondary Sources