Primary and Secondary Source for National History Day Projects

A primary source can be an article, document, diary, manuscript, object or information written or created at the time an event actually took place. Primary sources serve as an original source of information. 

A secondary source is second-hand information written or created after an event. Secondary sources may summarize, interpret, review, or criticize existing events or works. 

“Frequently Asked Questions: General.” What Is a Primary Source? - Ask a Librarian, ask.loc.gov/faq/303148.

A primary source is a first-hand record of an event or topic created by a participant in or a witness to that event or topic. Primary sources can be a document, letter, eye-witness account, diary, article, book, recording, statistical data, manuscript, or art object. Primary sources vary by discipline and provide an original source of information about an era or event. Although primary sources can include first-hand accounts that were documented later, such as memoirs or oral histories, primary sources created or written closest to the time of the actual event are considered to be the most useful sources for research purposes.

Primary Source Example 

Journal or diary entries from a Civil War Soldier  

An original painting by Mary Cassatt 

A photograph of Harry Houdini     

An original Gershwin musical score 

“Frequently Asked Questions: General.” What Is a Primary Source? - Ask a Librarian, ask.loc.gov/faq/303148.

A secondary source is second-hand information written or created after an event. Secondary sources may summarize, interpret, review, or criticize existing events or works.  Secondary sources were written or created after an event by people who were not at the original event. Secondary sources can be many formats including books, articles, encyclopedias, textbooks, or a scholar’s interpretation of past events or conditions. 

Secondary Source Examples  

An article about Civil War Soldiers 

A book about Mary Cassatt 

A website about Houdini's magic tricks 

A recent recording of Gershwin songs      

“Frequently Asked Questions: General.” What Is a Primary Source? - Ask a Librarian, ask.loc.gov/faq/303148.