Primary source: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:44, 10 August 2025

Revision as of 01:45, 10 August 2025

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In scholarly writing, the objective of classifying sources is to determine the independence and reliability of sources.<ref name=Kragh/> Though the terms ''primary source'' and ''secondary source'' have often been used when discussing ideas and matters related to [[historiography]], it can also be applied to many other fields. For example, these ideas may be used to trace the history of scientific theories, literary elements, and other information that is passed from one author to another.

{{anchor|Science}}In [[scientific literature]], a primary source, or the "primary literature", is the original publication of a scientist's new data, results, and theories.<ref>Open University, [https://www.open.edu/openlearn/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=64085&section=4.1 4.1 Primary literature], ''Succeeding in postgraduate study'', Session 5, accessed 22 March 2023</ref> In [[political history]], primary sources are documents such as official reports, speeches, pamphlets, posters, or letters by participants, official election returns, and eyewitness accounts. In the [[history of ideas]] or [[intellectual history]], the main primary sources are [[books]], [[essays]], and [[Scientific journal|letters]] written by [[Intellectual|intellectuals]]; these intellectuals may include [[Historian|historians]] whose books and essays are therefore considered primary sources for the intellectual historian, though they are secondary sources in their own topical fields. In [[religious history]], the primary sources are [[religious texts]] and descriptions of religious [[ceremonies]] and [[rituals]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/content.php?pid=60919&sid=447878|title=Primary Sources – Religion|website=Research Guides at Tufts University|date=26 August 2014|access-date=15 January 2014}}</ref>

A study of [[cultural history]] could include fictional sources such as [[novels]] or [[Play (theatre)|plays]]. In a broader sense primary sources also include artifacts like [[photograph]]s, [[newsreel]]s, [[coin]]s, [[painting]]s or [[building]]s created at the time. Historians may also take oral reports and interviews into consideration. Written sources may be divided into three types:<ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Howell | first1 = Martha C. | last2 = Prevenier | first2 = Walter. | title = From reliable sources: an introduction to historical method | year = 2001 | publisher = Cornell University Press | ___location = Ithaca, N.Y. | isbn = 0-8014-8560-6 | pages =20–22}}</ref>