ICS Inter-Community School Library: PYP Research: Primary and Secondary Sources

What are Sources?

Sources are all of the places you can get information for your research.

For example: Books, Websites, Photographs, People.

Sources can be classed as PRIMARY SOURCES or SECONDARY SOURCES but do you know how to tell the difference?

BrainPop - Primary & Secondary Sources
Research involves gathering information from sources. Some are primary sources, which capture people’s first-hand experiences—like videos, emails, and eyewitness accounts. These sources can give you a real feel for people’s personal feelings and their perspective on an event. Others are secondary sources, like encyclopedia entries and textbook articles, which are written after the fact from second-hand knowledge. They combine information from other sources into a summary or analysis of a topic, which can help you understand the context and broader themes. When using sources in an assignment, evaluate each one carefully, considering the author’s perspective and biases, and whether it’s credible. And remember to cite your sources—you don't want to plagiarize! Want to learn more? You’ve come to the right source, so press “play.”

PRIMARY SOURCES

Shonnmharen, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Primary & Secondary Sources Slideshow

Britannica School Primary Sources

Primary Sources
"A primary source is a work that gives original information. It is something that comes from a time being studied or from a person who was involved in the events being studied. Some primary sources supply factual information about a subject. Other primary sources express the views of people who experienced events."

What does Chat GPT Say?

Primary sources and secondary sources are types of information that people use to learn about history and other subjects.

Primary sources are original materials that were created at the time of an event or by people who were directly involved in the event. They provide a first-hand account of what happened. Examples of primary sources include letters, diary entries, photographs, and news articles from the time of the event.

Secondary sources, on the other hand, are materials that were created after an event took place. They often include interpretations and analyses of primary sources, and are written by people who were not directly involved in the event. Examples of secondary sources include history books, documentaries, and articles in magazines or newspapers.

Think of it like this: if you want to learn about what it was like to live during the time of the dinosaurs, a primary source might be a fossil that gives you information about what they looked like and how they lived. A secondary source might be a book written by a scientist who studied the fossils and learned about the dinosaurs from them.

SECONDARY SOURCES

Shonnmharen, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Using Primary and Secondary Sources

People can use and analyse evidence from a variety of sources (Primary and Secondary Sources of Information)

Primary Sources

Are original objects, documents, or sources that give first-hand information
Were written or produced during the time something was happening
Gets the investigator as close as possible to what actually happened during the time it happened

Secondary Sources

Are written or made "after the fact" -- at a later time.
They are written by people who did not experience the event.
Usually the author of a secondary source has studied the primary sources of an historical period or event and then presents their interpretation of the event.
You can think of secondary sources as second-hand information.

Examples of Primary Sources	Examples of Secondary Sources
Diaries and journals e.g. Anne Frank's Diary Autobiography Letters written by a historical figure Speeches Historical Documents such as birth certificates, government records, maps, art Sound recordings and interviews Photographs and videos Emails	Biographies and histories written by people who did not experience events or the time first-hand. Commentaries and criticism of primary sources. Non-Fiction Text Book Documentary Magazine articles and Web pages which describe events or ideas a substantial time after they have occurred. Newspaper Article?

Examples of Primary Sources

Examples of Secondary Sources

Diaries and journals e.g. Anne Frank's Diary

Autobiography

Letters written by a historical figure

Speeches

Historical Documents such as birth certificates, government records, maps, art

Sound recordings and interviews

Photographs and videos

Emails

Biographies and histories written by people who did not experience events or the time first-hand.

Commentaries and criticism of primary sources.

Non-Fiction Text Book

Documentary

Magazine articles and Web pages which describe events or ideas a substantial time after they have occurred.

Newspaper Article?