HIST 1000: Nature in History (Olfelt)
Primary Sources
Primary or Secondary Source?
A primary source is first-hand information created during the time that you are researching.
A secondary source is second-hand information, often written by an expert who draws on both primary and contextual information.
Descriptive Questions
What is it?
Who wrote or made it?
When was it written or made?
Where was it written or made?
How was it written or made?
Interpretive Questions
What is the tone of the source?
Who was the intended audience of this source? How might that influence its content?
Why was this source written or made? What is its intended purpose?
What research questions might this source suggest?
Example from Class
Examples of Primary Sources
Autobiographies
Diaries
Documents
Eyewitness accounts
Film footage
Laws
Letters
Newspaper articles
Concert programs
Novels
Objects from the time
Oral histories
Photographs
Poems, art
Speeches
Musical scores
Recordings