Primary sources are the direct evidence or first-hand accounts of events without secondary analysis or interpretation. A primary source is a work that was created or written contemporary with the period or subject being studied.
Primary sources are crucial to producing authoritative, original research. They serve as the researcher's primary focus and they represent evidence for a particular phenomenon or theory. As such, primary sources serve as the foundation upon which all secondary and tertiary sources are developed. All research entails primary sources of one kind or another; without primary sources, there would no object of study to analyze, theorize, or critique.
Primary sources include:
A primary source is an original document containing firsthand information about a topic. Different fields of study may use different types of primary sources.
A secondary source contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. The most important feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources.
Secondary sources represent the scholarly conversation that has taken place, or is currently taking place, on a given topic.
Secondary sources include:
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