Library: Primary Sources: Primary Sources: Overview

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Types of Primary Sources

Artifacts
Audio recordings
Data
Diaries
Internet communications (ex. email, listserv postings)
Interviews
Legal documents (ex. birth certificate, trial transcript)
Letters
Maps
Newspaper articles written at the time
Original research (ex. empirical article)
Patents
Photographs and images
Proceedings of meetings, conferences and symposia
Records of organizations, government agencies (e.g. annual report, government document)
Speeches
Video recordings
Works of art, architecture, literature, and music (e.g., paintings, sculptures, musical scores, buildings, poems)

(Adapted from the University of Maryland's University Libraries', Research Using Primary Sources guide)

How to use this guide

This Research Guide is designed to help you find primary sources and understand what they are.

Watch the video "What are Primary Sources?" and review the bulleted list "Types of Primary Sources" to help gain an understanding of what a primary source is.

Then, find primary sources:

U.S. Primary Sources (on the open Web)
Global Primary Sources (on the open Web)
Primary Sources in the Library

Quick Video: What are Primary Sources?

Common Craft: Primary and Secondary Sources Video
When researching, there are two main types of information sources: primary and secondary sources. Understanding the difference between them and how to use them can help make your projects more thorough and accurate.

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