Primary sources are first-hand evidence related to the time or event you are investigating. This includes accounts by participants or observers and a wide range of written, physical, audio or visual materials created at the time or later by someone with direct experience.
In the sciences and social sciences, primary sources or 'primary research' are original research experiments, studies, or observations written about by the researchers themselves.
Discipline | Primary Source Examples | Secondary Source Examples |
---|---|---|
History |
|
|
Art & Literature |
|
|
Communications & Journalism |
|
|
Political Science |
|
|
Science & Social Science |
|
|
Primary sources such as autobiographies, diaries, letters, photographs, and other documents are often reprinted in books. Search the library with OneSearch and combine your topic with descriptions like these.
Below are examples of books containing primary sources that can be found in the CSULA Library.