Primary sources are artifacts or first hand accounts of an event or topic created by an individual or individuals who had a direct connection with the event or topic.
Primary sources will vary in type depending upon the discipline, but can include:
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| Discipline | Primary Source Examples |
| Advertising | Ads, Ad campaign |
| Accounting/Business | Financial Documents of Companies |
| Art | Artwork, Image, Photograph, Artists' writings, interview with artist |
| Athletic Training | Original Research Study with methods, results and participants |
| Biology |
Original Research Study with methods, results and participants or materials |
| Chemistry |
Original Research Study with methods, results and materials |
| Communication/Sports Communication | Social media, news coverage |
| Criminal Justice | Research studies with methods, materials, and results, data, government policy and laws |
| Economics | Economic philosophy texts, economic data and government documents |
| Education | Data from research studies or surveys, education law and policy, lessons plans and teaching materials |
| English/Literature | Work of Literature, Author's diary or letters |
| Environmental Science & Policy |
Original Research Study with methods, results and materials |
| Fashion | Clothing, Designer's Sketches |
| Fashion Merchandising | Business or Advertising Plan, financial documents |
| History | Memoir, Journal, Letters, film footage, speeches |
| Journalism | Interviews recorded or written |
| Legal/Paralegal | Legal Statute or Court Case |
| Media Studies | Film, television shows, video games, scripts |
| Medical Technology |
Original Research Study with methods, results and participants or materials |
| Philosophy | Philosophers' writings, speeches, diaries, letters |
| Physical Therapy |
Original Research Study with methods, results and participants |
| Physician Assistant |
Original Research Study with methods, results and participants |
| Political Science | Legislative Documents |
| Psychology | Practitioner's Case Notes, Original Research Study with methods, results and participants |
| Public Administration | government documents, company reports, reports of non-profit organizations |
| Religion | Religious texts |
| Social Work | Census or Raw Data, Practitioner's Case Notes, Original Research Study with methods, results and participants |
Time and Place Rule
The closer in time and place a source and its creator were to an event in the past, the better the source will be. Better primary sources (starting with the most reliable) might include:
Direct traces of the event;
Accounts of the event, created at the time it occurred, by firsthand observers and participants;
Accounts of the event, created after the event occurred, by firsthand observers and participants;
Accounts of the event, created after the event occurred, by people who did not participate or witness the event, but who used interviews or evidence from the time of the event.
The Bias Rule
Every source is biased in some way. Documents tell us only what the creator of the document thought happened, or what the creator wants us to think happened. As a result, researchers follow these guidelines when reviewing evidence from past events:
Every piece of evidence and every source must be read or viewed skeptically and critically.
No piece of evidence should be taken at face value. The creator's point of view must be considered.
Each piece of evidence and source must be cross-checked and compared with related sources and pieces of evidence.