LibGuides: HIST 410: Research Seminar in US History (Slater): What are Primary Sources?

Primary Sources

Primary sources are the raw materials of historical research - they are the documents or artifacts closest to the topic of investigation. Often they are created during the time period which is being studied (correspondence, diaries, newspapers, government documents, art) but they can also be produced later by eyewitnesses or participants (memoirs, oral histories). You may find primary sources in their original format (usually in an archive) or reproduced in a variety of ways: books, microfilm, digital, etc.
Use primary sources to EVIDENCE and ILLUSTRATE your scholarly argument
Note: The definition of a primary source may vary depending upon the discipline or context.

Examples include:

Artifacts (e.g. coins, plant specimens, fossils, furniture, tools, clothing, all from the time under study)
Audio recordings (e.g. radio programs, oral histories)
Diaries
Internet communications on email, listservs
Interviews (e.g., oral histories, telephone, e-mail)
Journal articles published in peer-reviewed publications
Letters
Newspaper articles written at the time
Original Documents (i.e. birth certificate, will, marriage license, trial transcript)
Patents
Photographs
Proceedings of Meetings, conferences and symposia
Records of organizations, government agencies (e.g. annual report, treaty, constitution, government document)
Speeches
Survey Research (e.g., market surveys, public opinion polls)
Video recordings (e.g. television programs)
Works of art, architecture, literature, and music (e.g., paintings, sculptures, musical scores, buildings, novels, poems)
Websites

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources offer an analysis or a restatement of primary sources. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. Some secondary sources not only analyze primary sources, but also use them to argue a contention or persuade the reader to hold a certain opinion. Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence.
Use secondary sources to MOTIVATE and SITUATE your scholarly argument
Note: The definition of a secondary source may vary depending upon the discipline or context.

Examples include:

Bibliographies (also considered tertiary)
Biographical works
Commentaries, criticisms
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias (also considered tertiary)
Histories
Journal articles (depending on the disciple can be primary)
Magazine and newspaper articles (this distinction varies by discipline)
Monographs, other than fiction and autobiography
Textbooks (also considered tertiary)
Web site (also considered primary)

Finding Primary Sources on Campus

Special Collections
The Special Collections Department of the College of Charleston was founded to support the teaching and learning mission of the College of Charleston and to promote scholarship on the South Carolina Lowcountry and the broader Atlantic World. It is located on the third floor of the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library. Its holdings include over 600 manuscript collections related to the history and culture of the South Carolina Lowcountry, the archives of the College of Charleston, the Spoleto Festival Archives, and more than 40,000 rare books and pamphlets.
Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture
The mission of the Avery Research Center is to evaluate, acquire, organize, preserve and make available materials that document the African American experience in Charleston, the Lowcountry, South Carolina, and beyond. Avery Research Center is home to approximately 200 manuscript collections, varying in size from a few items to over 50 linear feet; over 4,000 photographs; hundreds of reels of microfilm, VHS tapes, clipping files, and digital formats. There are dozens of collections of artifacts ranging from those that document slavery to material culture from West Africa and a sweet grass basket collection.
South Carolina Historical Society Archives
The SCHS is the state’s oldest and largest private repository of books, letters, journals, maps, drawings, and photographs about South Carolina history. It's mission is “to expand, preserve, and make accessible our invaluable collection, and to encourage interest and pride in the rich history of our state.” The South Carolina Historical Society Archives is located on the third floor of the Addlestone Library on the campus of the College of Charleston (205 Calhoun Street).