A primary source is an original document or person who has direct knowledge of something. In scientific research and journalism, the use of a primary source is the most credible way to obtain information. The following quotes from academics and academic institutions have been selected by historian Justin Lyles to help users understand the concept of primary sources: „By `source`, the historian means the contemporary material of the events studied. These sources include, but are not limited to, diaries, letters, diaries, magazine articles, tape recordings, images and maps. These documents may have already been printed, edited or unedited, and still be a source. The term is meant to be restrictive rather than inclusive, as it is intended to indicate that secondary science or synthesis work is not a source because the data was distilled by another person. A good way for the inexperienced historian to lose points among his serious counterparts is to label a biography of George Washington or an analysis of Magna Carta as a „source.“ Primary sources also include first-hand accounts that were later documented, such as autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories. However, the most useful primary sources are generally considered to be the ones created closest to the period of time you are looking for. A primary source differs from a secondary source in that the former reproduces the words of witnesses or early recorders of an event – for example, the diaries of Count Ciano, written during Mussolini`s regime. The researcher who uses a number of these primary sources produces a secondary source. „If you want to learn more about the past, the main sources of information are those that provide first-hand accounts of the events, practices or conditions you are looking for. Typically, these are documents created by witnesses or early recorders of these events at the time they took place, and include diaries, letters, reports, photographs, creative works, financial records, memos, and newspaper articles (to name a few).
„A primary source is first-hand testimony or direct evidence on a subject under investigation. The nature and value of a source cannot be determined without reference to the subject and the questions it is intended to answer. The same document or other evidence may be a primary source in one investigation and a secondary source in another. Therefore, the primary source search does not automatically include or exclude a class of records or records. „A primary source reproduces the words of witnesses or early recorders of an event. Primary sources are manuscripts, archives, letters, diaries and speeches. Secondary sources are „descriptions of the event derived from and based on primary sources.“ The line between primary and secondary sources is often blurred, for example, a single document may be a primary source for some topics and a secondary source for others. „When writing a research paper, primary sources make your arguments more compelling because the underlying information comes directly from the original source. Historians use primary sources such as letters, photos, and interview transcripts to get first-hand information about a person or event as close as possible. Secondary sources, such as articles or books published after an event, contain additional comments or interpretations. Primary comes from the Latin primarius, „first rank“ or „principal.“ Primary sources are manuscripts, first-person diaries, oral histories, letters, interviews, photographs, maps, films, sound recordings, music, song sheets – fragments of history that are incomplete in themselves, but when assembled, analyzed and researched, they can provide personal insights. human dramas and a deep historical understanding.
Primary sources can also be places and people. These are resources that speak directly to the viewer, reader and listener without explanatory context. They evoke a sense of time and place. They often represent a point of view and are therefore not always neutral or objective. This means that one primary source may contradict another or confirm another. Educators need to understand how to deal with these ambiguities and help students build the context for deeper understanding. This can be done even with very young children. To give just one example of a primary source for a particular research question, if you were interested in learning how the first-year rhetoric course at UIUC developed in the late 19th century. The articles written by students for this course would be considered primary sources for this research project, since they were produced by direct participants in these practices at the time of the institutional practices in question.
–Susan H. Veccia, Uncovering Our History: Teaching with Primary Sources. (Chicago: American Library Association, 2004), p. 3. –Helen J. Poulton, The historian`s handbook (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1972), pp. 175–76. – Robin Winks, The Detective Historian; Essays on evidence (New York: Harper & Row, 1969), p.xx. Student Affairs Student Notes W.A. Brubaker Papers, 1894-1895 Record Series 41/30/30 W.A. Brubaker, a student at the UI from 1893 to 95, wrote this essay on the difference between American football and football for the introductory course on rhetoric he took in 1894. (Click to enlarge image).
–Jacques Barzun, The Modern Researcher. Fifth edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1992), p.114 Note. Increase your test score with programs developed by Vocabulary.com experts.