Primary sources, according to Yale University, "provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic or question under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include:
- autobiographies,
- memoirs, and
- oral histories recorded later."
Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format.
The Library of Congress has an extensive list of primary sources that you can access. You can also find primary sources using MiraCosta College Library's Primary Source Databases.
Secondary sources would be sources that analyze or provide secondhand accounts of the event. Some examples are:
- Journal articles
- magazines
- news articles
- textbooks
- encyclopedia entries
You can find many of these sources through the MiraCosta College Library Databases.
