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What is a Primary Source: Video
Primary Sources
Definition (Note: be sure to clarify with your Instructor what constitutes a primary source)
- Materials that contain first-hand testimony, direct evidence or an eyewitness account of a topic or event
- Contemporary accounts, produced at the time or place under investigation
- Factual, raw data, not an interpretation or analysis
Examples of Primary Sources
- Personal Correspondence: Letters, diaries, emails, social media posts
- News Media: newspaper articles, radio and television broadcasts created at the time of the event
- Ephemera: posters, pamphlets, flyers, coupons, advertisements
- Artistic Expressions: Paintings, sculptures, photographs, objets d'art, performances
- Archival Material: Manuscripts, public records, documents held in archival collections
- Original Texts: Texts produced during the time under investigation eg:
- writings of ancient authors: Homer, Plutarch etc.
- books written by important thinkers or scholars who are themselves the subject of research: Books or articles written by Freud, Malthus, McLuhan etc.
- Government Documents: Policy statements, legislation, debates or proceedings
- Raw Data: datasets without analysis
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