Types of Sources and Where to Find Them: Part I: Primary Sources
Summary
TLDRThis tutorial explains the distinction between primary and secondary sources for historians and scholars. Primary sources, such as diaries and legal testimonies, offer raw materials for research, while secondary sources interpret the past based on these primary materials. The script discusses the importance of understanding the context of creation, the creator's intentions, and the audience for these sources. It also provides guidance on locating primary sources, including unpublished documents in archives and published materials available online, emphasizing the need for critical evaluation of their reliability and relevance.
Takeaways
- 📚 Primary and secondary sources are classified based on their production time relative to the events being studied and their role in research.
- 🕵️♂️ Primary sources are raw materials created around the time of the events and are key evidence in historical research.
- 📰 Secondary sources offer interpretations of the past based on primary sources, such as the example of a newspaper article from 1959.
- 🔍 The categorization of a source as primary or secondary depends on the research question and how the source is treated in the context of that question.
- 📖 A single work, like 'Black Reconstruction in America,' can serve as both a primary and secondary source depending on the focus of the research.
- 🏛️ Many primary sources are unpublished and located in archives, requiring physical access for study.
- 📝 Examples of primary sources include diaries, letters, and legal documents, which provide firsthand accounts of events.
- 🌐 Some primary sources, though not published at the time of creation, have been later published or digitized for online access.
- 🔎 Finding primary sources can be challenging due to language barriers, loss of documents, or their non-existence.
- 🗺️ Primary sources like maps, photographs, and visual materials offer insights into the time period and perspectives of the people.
- 📚 Published primary sources can be located through online catalogs and digital collections of historical documents.
- 📝 Consulting bibliographies and secondary literature can help identify primary sources used by other scholars in related research.
Q & A
What is the main difference between primary and secondary sources?
-Primary sources are original materials created around the time of the events being studied, reflecting the creator's observations or beliefs. Secondary sources, in contrast, provide interpretations of the past based on primary sources.
Why is it important to understand the distinction between primary and secondary sources?
-The distinction is important because it affects how you understand and use these sources in your research. Primary sources serve as raw material for analysis, while secondary sources offer interpretations that can be used to support or challenge your arguments.
Can a single source be considered both a primary and a secondary source?
-Yes, a source can be used as both a primary and secondary source depending on the research question. Its classification depends on how it is treated in the context of the research.
What is an example of a primary source mentioned in the script?
-An example of a primary source is a newspaper article describing Nixon's visit to the Soviet Union in 1959, written by a journalist who witnessed the event.
What is the significance of considering the context when evaluating a primary source?
-Considering the context helps determine the reliability of the source, the motivations behind its creation, and its intended audience, which are crucial for understanding its value in research.
Why might historical documents be difficult to locate?
-Historical documents may be difficult to locate because they may never have been published, are only available in archives, have been lost, were never created, or exist in languages other than English.
What are some examples of primary sources for researching the issue of birth control in 20th century America?
-Examples include court cases, legislative documents, newspaper articles, and letters, which can provide a variety of perspectives on the issue.
How can one determine if a source is a reliable account or created with a particular bias?
-One must consider the source's creation time, its creator's intentions, and whether it was created to persuade or inform. This helps in assessing the reliability and potential bias of the account.
What types of organizations might create records related to a research topic?
-Organizations that might create relevant records include governments, associations, non-governmental organizations, and businesses, which can produce statistics, reports, legislative documents, and financial records.
How can visual material provide insight into a historical period?
-Visual material such as maps, photographs, posters, and advertisements can reveal contemporary perspectives, political boundaries, social concerns, and cultural attitudes of the time.
How can one find published primary sources for research?
-Published primary sources can be found using online catalogs, digital collections of historical documents, and by consulting bibliographies and secondary literature on the topic.
Outlines
📚 Understanding Primary and Secondary Sources
This paragraph introduces the fundamental concepts of primary and secondary sources in historical research. Primary sources are original materials created around the time of the events being studied, offering firsthand observations or beliefs of the creator. They are crucial for forming evidence in research papers. Secondary sources interpret the past based on primary sources. Examples given include a newspaper article from 1959 about Nixon's visit to the Soviet Union and a 1646 pamphlet of legal testimony from a witch trial. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of considering the context of creation, the creator's intent, and the audience when evaluating sources. It also discusses the challenge of locating primary sources, which may be unpublished and available only in archives, or published and accessible in libraries or online.
🔍 Locating and Evaluating Primary Sources
The second paragraph delves into the process of finding and assessing primary sources. It suggests considering when and where a source was created, who created it, and the purpose or audience it was intended for. The paragraph provides examples of different types of primary sources such as letters, diaries, autobiographies, oral histories, and government documents. It also touches on the importance of determining the reliability of a source and whether it was created at the time of the events or later. The paragraph further discusses the value of visual materials like maps, photographs, and advertisements as primary sources, and how they can offer insights into contemporary perspectives. It advises using online catalogs and digital collections to find published primary sources and consulting bibliographies and secondary literature for leads on potential sources.
🎶 Conclusion and Acknowledgment
The final paragraph, marked by the presence of music, serves as a conclusion to the video script. It acknowledges the contribution of the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library at the University of Illinois in bringing the video to the viewer. This paragraph does not contain substantial content related to the main themes discussed in the previous paragraphs but signifies the end of the tutorial and provides a note of thanks to the supporting institution.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Primary Sources
💡Secondary Sources
💡Historians
💡Research Question
💡Archives
💡Diaries
💡Legal Testimony
💡Reliability
💡Published Primary Sources
💡Visual Material
💡Bibliographies
Highlights
Primary and secondary sources are differentiated based on their production time and their role in reflecting events or providing interpretations.
Primary sources are raw materials for analysis and form key evidence in research arguments.
Secondary sources interpret the past based on primary sources, like the example of a newspaper article from Nixon's visit to the Soviet Union in 1959.
The categorization of a source as primary or secondary depends on the research question and how the source is treated.
W. E. B. Du Bois' 'Black Reconstruction in America' can serve as both a secondary source for 19th-century research and a primary source for studies on Du Bois' life or black intellectual culture.
Locating primary sources can be challenging as many are unpublished and available only in archives.
Some primary sources like diaries and expense books are unique documents accessible only in person at specific archives.
Published primary sources can be found in libraries or online, but their discovery may require additional research.
The availability of historical documents can be limited by language barriers or the fact that they were never created.
When formulating a research topic, consider the types of evidence that will be accessible.
Three key questions to ask when evaluating primary sources: creation time, creator, and intended audience or purpose.
Different historical periods require searching for different kinds of primary sources, such as court cases, legislative documents, or personal letters.
First-person accounts can be found in diaries, autobiographies, oral histories, and literary works, which provide personal perspectives on events.
Assess the reliability of a source and determine if it was created at the time of the events or written later with a potential bias.
Organizations may create records related to a topic, such as government reports or non-governmental organization reports, which can serve as primary sources.
Visual materials like maps, photographs, and posters provide insights into the time period and can reflect contemporary perspectives.
Primary sources can have multiple meanings and should be analyzed for various interpretations, such as a map reflecting understanding of disease spread.
Published primary sources can be located using online catalogs or digital collections of historical documents.
Bibliographies and secondary literature can guide the discovery of primary sources used by other scholars.
The video is produced by the History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library at the University of Illinois, providing educational content on source evaluation.
Transcripts
[Music]
types of sources and where to find them
part one primary
sources historians and other Scholars
classify sources as primary or
secondary this distinction is important
because it will affect how you
understand these
sources in this first video of a
two-part tutorial we will discuss
primary
sources primary sources are most often
produced around the time of the events
you are studying they reflect what their
creator observed or believed about the
event these sources serve as the raw
material that you'll analyze and
synthesize in order to answer your
research question and they will form key
pieces of evidence in your paper's
argument secondary sources in contrast
provide an interpretation of the past
based on primary
sources this newspaper article is an
example of a primary source it describes
a visit Nixon made to the Soviet Union
in
1959 It Was Written the day after by a
journalist who witnessed the event and
it reflects what the journalist and his
editors thought the readers would care
about at at the time another example of
a primary source is this pamphlet which
compiles legal testimony from a witch
trial it was published in
1646 the same year as the trial it
documents but given the nature of the
topic you would probably want to
research the pamphlets author John
Davenport to determine the reliability
of the transcription or what might have
motivated him to publish it you should
be aware that there's no nothing
inherent in a source that makes it
primary or secondary instead its
category depends on how you treat it
which in turn depends on your research
question for example black
reconstruction in America written in
1935 by web Deo could be used as a
secondary source for research about 19th
century America since dece draws on a
range of government reports biographies
and existing historical narratives in
order to make a claim about the past
however it could also be used as a
primary source for research about deo's
life or black intellectual culture
during the
1930s one of the main challenges of
dealing with primary sources is locating
them many historical documents have
never been published and they may only
be available in archives for example
here is a page from the expense book of
a student enrolled in the University of
Illinois
in
1930 it is a unique document located in
the student life and culture archive
here on campus and it is only accessible
to those who can come to the archive in
person this on the other hand is a
published primary source a diary written
in 1912 and first published several
decades later our copy is in the main
Stacks some of these materials like
letters were not published at the time
of creation but have been subsequently
published in a book or digitized and
made available
online for some topics historical
documents might be difficult to find
because they have been lost or were
never created in the first place in
other cases the primary sources might
exist but not in English therefore when
you begin to formulate a topic you'll
want to think about what kinds of
evidence will be available to you
when thinking about how to find or make
sense of primary sources you should ask
yourself three
questions when and where was it created
who created it for what purpose or what
audience was it
produced depending on the topic and the
time period that you are studying you'll
have to look for different kinds of
primary sources for example if you're
interested in the issue of birth control
in 20th century America you can expect
to find many primary sources including
court cases legislative documents
newspaper articles and
letters if you are interested in a topic
from a more distant historical time
period such as the status of Jews during
the Renaissance you may have to look
harder but you can still find documents
such as histories
laws novels and pamphlets
if you're interested in firstperson
accounts you want to take a look at
sources like
letters
Diaries
autobiographies oral
histories literary
works or pical writings you'll have to
determine if the source is a reliable
account or created with the intention of
imposing a particular understanding of
an event or situation were they created
at the time of events they account or
were they written many years later some
sources might make this point of view
obvious whereas others might pretend to
be authoritative in other cases you want
to think about what kinds of
organizations might have created records
related to your topic you might be able
to find
statistics government
reports legislative
documents court
records transactions of an association
annual reports and financial records or
reports of non-governmental
organizations you want to determine the
circumstances of the document's creation
was it an internal document created to
gather information or was it intended to
persuade others inside or outside the
group to take a certain course of action
visual material can also provide a
powerful window onto the time period you
are studying for instance apps not only
reveal contemporary political boundaries
but also how people thought of them
other visual sources include
photographs
posters
advertisements
cartoons travel
narratives and Motion
Pictures keep in mind that primary
sources can have multiple meanings for
example this 185 4 map provides evidence
about the 1854 London CA outbreak but it
also reflects a new understanding of how
disease spreads and a concern with
illness as a social
problem you can find published primary
sources by using the online catalog or
by searching in a digital collection of
historical documents such as the
garrettson collection of women's history
chronicling America
and Empire
online the history Library maintains a
list of these collections on its
website remember though that these
databases will not explicitly categorize
the items they list as primary and
secondary and may even contain documents
that you might want to use as a
secondary source so you'll have to use
your own
judgment for example you might be
interested in this dictionary of women's
employ employment for the information it
contains about wages or for the
attitudes that it conveys about what
kinds of jobs are appropriate for women
you can also find primary sources by
Consulting published
bibliographies and by looking at the
secondary literature on your topic to
see what sources other Scholars have
used in their
research this video has been brought to
you by the history philosophy and
newspaper library at the University of
Illinois
[Music]
for
[Music]
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