As mentioned in the video, historical primary sources are first-hand accounts of historical events. They’re produced by people who had a direct connection with the event, place, or time period. These sources can be recorded during the event, as it is happening, or later, as the authors are reflecting upon what happened.

Some types of primary sources you may encounter:

Diaries, letters, and speeches written by people experiencing the event
Newspaper reports published at the time of the event
Original research, including datasets and surveys
Literary works and poems
Photographs, artwork, and audio or video recordings

On the other hand, secondary sources are created using primary sources, but with added interpretation and analysis. They are produced by scholars after the event has taken place, and address themes or topics related to or about the primary source.

Some types of secondary sources you may encounter:

Textbooks about a topic
Scholarly or other articles about a topic (such as in an academic journal)
Analysis of data produced by other scholars

In the next section, you will take a quiz to test your understanding of these concepts.