Primary Sources consist of first-hand accounts of a topic from people who had a direct connection to it. Some examples of primary sources are:
Texts of law and other original documents
Datasets, survey data such as census statistics
Speeches, diaries, letters, interviews, and memoirs (Direct information stated or written from those involved.)
Newspaper reports by reports who witnessed an event and/or quote people who did.
Original research
Photographs, videos, or audios that capture a specific event.
Artwork
Interview
Diary
Letters
Poem
Performance
Treaty
Biography
Dissertation
Thesis
Review of a play
Article critiquing a piece of art
Book about a specific subject
Treatise on a particular genre of poetry
Essay on a treaty
Secondary Sources are one step removed from primary sources although they can quote or otherwise use primary sources. Secondary sources cover the same topic but add a layer of interpretation and analysis. Secondary sources can include:
Analysis or interpretation of data.
Most books about a topic.
Documentaries (though they often include photographic or video portions often considered as primary sources).
Scholarly or other articles about a topic by people not directly involved.
