Home - Primary Sources for History - Subject and Course Guides at University of California Irvine

What is a historical primary source?

DEFINITION: Primary sources are original sources created at the time a historical event occurs (or possibly afterwards) and are directly associated with their producer (or user). Essentially, a primary source is the subjective interpretation of a witness to an event. Primary sources serve as the raw materials historians use to interpret / analyze the past.

Some examples include:

Diaries	Novels	Video Recordings
Letters	Newspapers	Research Data
Government Documents	Interviews	Wills
Memoirs	Photographs	Court Records
Speeches	Clothing	Ancient Artifacts
Maps	Manuscripts	Works of Art

UCI Primary Sources Tutorial
Includes an introduction to and a how to find Primary Sources in ANTPAC and on the web
Using Primary Sources on the Web
Created by a group of librarians from the American Library Association

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