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Primary vs Secondary Sources Guide

This document defines and provides examples of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are original materials created during or near the event being documented, such as diaries, interviews, letters, raw data, official documents, legislation, court records, photographs, journal articles, newspaper articles, autobiographies, speeches, and creative works. Secondary sources are analyses created after the fact that interpret and build upon primary sources, such as Wikipedia articles. The document cautions against using Wikipedia as a primary source and provides questions to evaluate the reliability of sources.

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Gabriel Mendoza Jole
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178 views29 pages

Primary vs Secondary Sources Guide

This document defines and provides examples of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are original materials created during or near the event being documented, such as diaries, interviews, letters, raw data, official documents, legislation, court records, photographs, journal articles, newspaper articles, autobiographies, speeches, and creative works. Secondary sources are analyses created after the fact that interpret and build upon primary sources, such as Wikipedia articles. The document cautions against using Wikipedia as a primary source and provides questions to evaluate the reliability of sources.

Uploaded by

Gabriel Mendoza Jole
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Primary & Secondary Sources

Definitions, Examples,
Resources
Primary & Secondary Sources
Primary Sources – Definition
 A primary source is an original, "first-hand", or
"eye-witness" account offering an inside view.

 It contains new information (new at the time it was


created, that is) that has not been interpreted,
evaluated, paraphrased, or condensed.

 Such sources are usually created during or very


close to the time of the events they report on.

 The author of a primary source typically provides direct


impressions of events he or she is reporting on.
Primary Sources - Diaries

The diary of President


Ronald Reagan which
provides a first-hand
account of the 40th President
of the United States term in
office.
Source: Reagan Presidential
Library
Primary Sources - Interviews

Filipina comfort woman


during Japanese Period

Source: ABC 5
Primary Sources - Letters
Letter from Andres Bonifacio to Emilio
Jacinto dated March 8, April 16 and
April 24, 1897, written in the last
weeks of his life where he related his
feelings about the Cavite affair, which
eventually led to his death. Each of
the five items will be sold separately
in an auction on March 3, 2018.
Primary Sources – Raw
Data As super typhoon
Haiyan hits
Philippines
Primary Sources –
Official
Documents
The Philippine
Declaration of
Independence
Primary Sources –
Legislation & Court
Records
The 26th Amendment to the
Constitution guarantees the Right
to Vote for 18 year olds.

Source: [Link]
Primary Sources - Photographs

Satellite
Image of
Chesapeake
Bay

Source:
NASA
Primary Sources – Journal
Articles

The voyage of
Magellan;: The journal
of Antonio Pigafetta
Primary Sources – Newspaper
Articles

Philippines Coronavirus
disease (COVID-19)
Situation Report
Primary Sources
-
Autobiographies

Inventing Myself: An
Autobiography
by 
Miriam Defensor Santi
ago
Primary Sources - Speeches
Ninoy Aquino s speech in
Los Angeles Cal. USA on
Feb.15,1891
Primary Sources – Creative
Works (novels, plays, music, art)

The Philippine
national anthem
Secondary Sources - Definition
 A secondary source provides
"second-hand" information that
has been digested, analyzed,
reworded or interpreted.
 Secondary sources are often written
well after the events they report on,
and can put past information into its
historical context.
Secondary Sources
- Examples
Wikipedia - Tips

Do NOT use Wikipedia as either a


Primary or Secondary source in your
research.
Use Wikipedia as a starting point for
your research and as a way to locate
actual Primary and Secondary sources.
Wikipedia
Defining questions
When evaluating primary or secondary sources, the following
questions might be asked to help ascertain the nature and value
of material being considered:

•How does the author know these details (names, dates, times)?
Was the author present at the event or soon on the scene?
•Where does this information come from—personal experience,
eyewitness accounts, or reports written by others?
•Are the author's conclusions based on a single piece of
evidence, or have many sources been taken into account

Ultimately, all source materials of whatever type must be


assessed critically and even the most scrupulous and thorough
work is viewed through the eyes of the writer/interpreter. This
must be taken into account when one is attempting to arrive at
the 'truth' of an event.

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