Library Help

A primary source is a witness account of an event, meaning that the author of the source was there while the subject of the article was happening. This can look different depending on the subject you're studying. In history, an example would be a person living through a historical event, and then writing about it. In science, a primary source would be original research; the person writing the text is the same person who conducted the experiment.

A secondary source analyzes and interprets primary sources. In history, an example of this would be a newspaper article written about a historical event by someone who wasn't an eyewitness. In science, a secondary source would be a journal article that adds commentary to someone else's research, or uses other scholars' research to make an argument.

For more information on types of sources, check out the library's guide on Types of Sources.