Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources: Primary

There are a number of different definitions for primary literature. These can vary according to the academic discipline (ie. science or humanities). In brief:

These are original materials which have not been filtered through interpretation, condensation, or, often, even evaluation by a second party; for example journal articles, monographs, reports, patents, theses, diaries, letters, photographs, poems.

• Primary sources are original materials on which other research is based

• They are usually the first formal appearance of results in the print or electronic literature (for example, the first publication of the results of scientific investigations is a primary source.)

• They present information in its original form, neither interpreted nor condensed nor evaluated by other writers.

• They are from the time period (for example, something written close to when what it is recording happened is likely to be a primary source.)

• Primary sources present original thinking, report on discoveries, or share new information.

• scientific journal articles reporting experimental research results

• proceedings of Meetings, Conferences and Symposia.

• technical reports

• dissertations or theses (may also be secondary)

• patents

• sets of data, such as census statistics

• works of literature (such as poems and fiction)

• diaries

• autobiographies

• interviews, surveys and fieldwork

• letters and correspondence

• speeches

• newspaper articles (may also be secondary)

• government documents

• photographs and works of art

• original documents (such as birth certificate or trial transcripts)

• Internet communications on email, listservs, and newsgroups