Primary Sources

Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. A primary resource is used to define source material that is closest to the individual, information, date or any idea. A primary source is any piece of information which was created by somebody that witnessed firsthand as was a part of the event which is being described.

It can be in the form of photographs, diaries, letters, movies, drawings, documents, books, encyclopedias, posters, play scripts, songs…etc. Those are the materials that learners can reach primarily as a learning material.

Primary sources are fundamental especially for the studies on history since firsthand witnessed information is required. So, many primary sources such as photographs, documents remain in private hand or archive. These can be public or private. For example, a government’s documents are direct evidence of its activities, functions, and policies. For any research that relates to the workings of government, government documents are indispensible primary sources. Manuscript and archival materials are unique resources that can be found in only one library or institution (though digital copies or copies on microfilm or microfiche may be available elsewhere). They are valuable primary source material for researchers in many fields of study, including history, political science, sociology, literature, journalism, cultural anthropology, health sciences, law, and education. Manuscripts and archival materials are distinct from other library materials in the ways they are described, accessed, handled and evaluated. Printed- published texts, serials, government documents, manuscript and archival materials, maps, realia, tablets, visual materials, music, sound recording, oral history, dissertations are basic sources. Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation.

Primary Sources