UNDERSTANDING

HISTORICAL SOURCES
Understanding Sources
• Gottschalk, in his work discusses the importance of sources for
historian’s work:
1. The historian, however, has to use many materials that are not
in books. He can go to the museums, go to the archives,
courthouses, government libraries and etc. He need to look for
the materials who has bearing in order for him to bridge the gap
and find answers on the matter that he/she was looking for. The
more relevant sources the more proper way of writing history to
enhance and disseminate national identity.
What are the two Types of Historical
Sources?

Historical facts/data are obtained

from both Primary and
Secondary Sources:
Primary Sources

• Provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or

work of art. 
• provide the original materials on which other research is based and enable
students and other researchers to get as close as possible to what actually
happened during a particular event or time period.
• Primary sources can be written or non-written (sound, pictures, artifacts,
etc.).  In scientific research, primary sources present original thinking,
report on discoveries, or share new information.
Primary Sources

•Historians use the term primary source to

describe all sources that are original. Primary
sources provide firsthand information that is
closest to the object of study. 
Examples of primary sources:

• Autobiographies and memoirs

• Diaries, personal letters, and correspondence
• Interviews, surveys, and fieldwork
• Internet communications on email, blogs, and newsgroups
• Photographs, drawings, and posters
• Works of art and literature
• Books, magazine and newspaper articles and ads published at the time
• Public opinion polls
• Speeches and oral histories
Examples of primary sources:

• Original documents (birth certificates, property deeds, trial transcripts)

• Research data, such as census statistics
• Official records of organizations and government agencies
• Artifacts of all kinds, such as tools, coins, clothing, furniture, etc.
• Audio recordings, DVDs, and video recordings
• Government documents (reports, bills, proclamations, hearings, etc.)
• Patents
• Technical reports
• Scientific journal articles reporting experimental research results
Types of Primary Sources

Literary or cultural sources:

•novels, plays, poems (both published and in
manuscript form)
•television shows, movies, or videos
•paintings or photographs
Types of Primary Sources
Accounts that describe events, people, or ideas:
• newspapers
• chronicles or historical accounts
• essays and speeches
• memoirs, diaries, and letters
• philosophical treatises or manifestos
Types of Primary Sources

Finding Information about people:

•census records
•obituaries
•newspaper articles
•biographies
Types of Primary Sources
Finding information about organizations:
• archives (sometimes held by libraries, institutions,
or historical societies)
• search Library Catalog Search or WorldCat using
the name of the organization as an author
Types of Primary Sources
Finding information about a place:
• maps and atlases
• census information
• statistics
• photographs
• city directories
• the local library or historical society
Secondary Sources

• Describe,
discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate,
summarize, and process primary sources.
• Generally one or more steps removed from the event or time
period and are written or produced after the fact with the
benefit of hindsight. 
• Often lack the freshness and immediacy of the original material. 
• Secondary sources will collect, organize, and repackage primary
source information to increase usability and speed of delivery,
such as an online encyclopedia.
Secondary Sources
•A secondary source is a source that
provides non-original or secondhand
data or information. 
Examples of secondary sources:

• Bibliographies
• Biographical works
• Reference books, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and
atlases
• Articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers after the
event.
• Literature reviews and review articles (e.g., movie reviews, book
reviews)
Examples of secondary sources:

• History books and other popular or scholarly

books
• Works of criticism and interpretation
• Commentaries and treatises
• Textbooks
• Indexes and abstracts
Secondary Sources
•Secondary sources are usually based on
primary sources. Historians typically use
these secondary resources to get a
better understanding of a topic and to
find further primary and secondary
sources on a topic. 
Questions to ask yourself to help you determine whether a source is
primary or secondary, there are some simple questions you can ask
yourself:
• Was the source created at the time and/or location of the event or time period?
(e.g. a photograph of the moon landing)
• Was the person who created the source directly involved in the event or time
period
• Does the source provide an outlet for persons who were directly involved in the
event or time period to share their story?
• Is the source a piece of art, a work of literature, a film created by or starring your
subject of study, or a photograph?
• Is the source a legal document, an original collection of data or statistics, or a
personal communication?
.If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then it’s most likely a primary source
Which Type of Sources Carry a Greater Weight?
Primary Source or Secondary Source?
•In general, primary sources are
considered more credible and
authoritative. They report actual
evidence, and evidence cannot be
wrong.
Take note:
•A book is simply a format.  You can find both
primary and secondary sources published in book
form.
• Secondary sources are interpretations and
analyses based on primary sources.
• For example, an autobiography is a primary
source while a biography is a secondary source.