Q. What are primary sources and how do I find them?

A primary source is a document or object that allows you to extract information directly from an original source; essentially first-hand information. Whether or not something is a primary source depends on your research question.

For example:

Research question:
"What were Edgar Allan Poe's views on love"

Primary sources:

• His original poems
• Other works he created himself such as diaries, interviews, letters, and speeches 

To know for sure what Poe's views are, we need to get as close to the original source (himself) as possible. His own writings, then, are primary sources.

What's not a primary source?

Again, it depends on your original research question.

If we're using the above research question about Poe, then books, biographies, and articles about Edgar Allan Poe written by anyone other than himself would be considered secondary sources because the information would be entirely second-hand.

A good way to think of it is: If your information has been processed (analyzed, interpreted, summarized) by another researcher then it's a secondary source. 

And remember, you still need to cite your primary sources!

How do I find primary sources?

The primary sources that might be useful to you depend on your research question, so take some time to consider what sources you need. Common types include, but aren't limited to:

• Interview transcripts
• Diaries
• Letters
• News Footage
• Speeches
• Original creative works (poems, stories, novels, plays, etc.)

Once you have determined what you need, try searching the library using terms that refer to that type of source. For example, if you are writing a paper on Barack Obama, you might search with the keywords 'Barack Obama interview'. 

If you are looking for original creative works to study, like Margaret Atwood's novels, it can be useful to search by author. This will make sure that you find works created by the author, as opposed to works that are about the author but written by someone else.

Can't find anything? Authors of secondary sources often cite primary sources. You can follow their citations to find primary sources about your person or topic.