Dr. Nabours - History Courses

For most history writing assignments you will use a combination of primary and secondary sources, so it is important to understand the difference.  

Primary sources are first-hand evidence of an historically important person or event. They are produced by that person or as a result of that event. Examples of primary sources include

• autobiographies,
• letters,
• diaries or journals,
• photographs, and
• social media posts.

Secondary sources are documents used to analyze, interpret, or study an historically important person or event. Examples of secondary sources include

• peer reviewed articles,
• scholarly books,
• government reports, and
• documentary films.

Watch the video below to gain a better understanding of primary and secondary sources.