Speaker: Who created this source? What do you know about them?
Occasion: What time and place is this source from? What is the historical context?
Audience: To whom is this information directed? One person or group of people?
Purpose: Why was it written? What did the author have in mind?
Subject: What is the topic? What information is the document conveying?
Primary Sources provide direct or first hand evidence. This may be about an event, object, or person; work of art or literature; or findings from original research. The information primary sources contain is original and has not been rewritten or reinterpreted by someone else.
Discipline | Primary Source | |
---|---|---|
Art | Original artwork, e.g. Michelangelo's David | |
Business | Annual report of a company, e.g. Starbucks | |
History | Diary, e.g. the diary of Marie Curie, Anne Frank | |
Literature | Poems, short fiction, or book of literature, e.g. Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou | |
Political Science | A bill that is passed into law, e.g. Equal Rights Amendment | |
Sciences | Report of an experiment, e.g. an article analyzing the effects of gravity on ocean waves | |
Social or Behavioral Sciences |
An article reporting the findings of original research, e.g. an article on student's confidence and academic success | |
Theater | A video recording of a theater performance, e.g. Hamilton, Phantom of the Opera |
Special Collections at WU