Primary sources are original, uninterpreted information. Scholars analyze primary sources in order to answer research questions. Examples of primary sources vary by discipline.
Examples in the humanities:
Examples in the social sciences:
Example in the sciences:
The Archives & Special Collections collects, preserves, and makes available primary source material documenting life at the University as well as collections representing regional, national and international issues.
The Francis Wayland Hanawalt Teaching Notebooks, 1921-1931, contain professor Hanawalt's exam questions for courses he taught: mathematics, astronomy, engineering drawing, surveying, and investment; and his surveying data for the new campus site (Puget Sound's current location).
Gravesande, Willem Jacob, Mathematical elements of natural philosophy confirmed by experiments, or An introduction to Sir Isaac Newton's philosophy, 1720.
Primary sources in the natural sciences are publications which provide a full description of original research and the presents the results of that research. The most common example of a primary source in the sciences is a scholarly article published in a peer-reviewed journal. Primary sources in the sciences include a description of the research and the results and references to other research in the field, and are factual, not interpretive. They can also take the form of more personal records and correspondence, including lab notebooks, diaries, and letters.
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Primary Source |
Secondary Source |
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Definition |
Original materials that have not been filtered through interpretation or evaluation by a second party. |
Sources that contain commentary on or a discussion about a primary source. |
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Formats (depending on the research being conducted) |
See below for thorough list, but anything which presents the findings and presents full descriptions of original research. |
See below, but anything which does NOT present original results, but instead discusses, critiques or comments on original research. Necessarily comes later in the publication cycle. |
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Example: Scientists Studying Industrial Fertilizer |
Article in scholarly journal publishing results of testing for fertilizer levels. |
Newspaper editorial calling for regulations on use of industrial fertilizer. |
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Example of Types of Sources |
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(adapted from http://library.albany.edu/usered/dr/prisci.html)
