What are Primary Sources?
Primary sources in History are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories. Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They present original thinking, report a discovery, or share new information. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. They are from the time period involved and have not been filtered through subsequent interpretation or evaluation.
Be careful when deciding if a source is primary or secondary. Context is key. The types of information that can be considered primary sources may vary depending on the subject discipline, and also on how you are using the material. For example: A magazine article reporting on recent studies linking the reduction of energy consumption to the compact fluorescent light bulb would be a secondary source. However a research article or study proving this would be a primary source. Also, if you were studying how compact fluorescent light bulbs are presented in the popular media, the magazine article could be considered a primary source.
For your History IA, you are recommended to collect and use at least three primary sources, and the two sources you evaluate in Section A are recommended to be primary sources. Examples of primary sources include: Letters, manuscripts, diaries, rare books, historical photographs, first-hand accounts or documentary sources on a subject, person, event or issue; newspapers written at the time of an event, political cartoons created at the time, song, or film from time period, historical maps, government reports or data, etc.
Be careful when deciding if a source is primary or secondary. Context is key. The types of information that can be considered primary sources may vary depending on the subject discipline, and also on how you are using the material. For example: A magazine article reporting on recent studies linking the reduction of energy consumption to the compact fluorescent light bulb would be a secondary source. However a research article or study proving this would be a primary source. Also, if you were studying how compact fluorescent light bulbs are presented in the popular media, the magazine article could be considered a primary source.
For your History IA, you are recommended to collect and use at least three primary sources, and the two sources you evaluate in Section A are recommended to be primary sources. Examples of primary sources include: Letters, manuscripts, diaries, rare books, historical photographs, first-hand accounts or documentary sources on a subject, person, event or issue; newspapers written at the time of an event, political cartoons created at the time, song, or film from time period, historical maps, government reports or data, etc.
How do I use Primary Sources?
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Primary Sources should be used and treated differently to Secondary Sources. Primary Sources are evidence whilst Secondary Sources are authorities that have already examined the sources. You should therefore treat primary sources more sceptically and critically.
You should be scrutinising primary sources like a detective looking for clues. Very rarely do Primary Sources offer clear and reliable statements of evidence. Primary sources themselves are often biased, incomplete and indirect. Therefore you should be considering what can be reliably inferred from the source. For IBDP history and your IA/EE, always consider the Origins, Purpose, Content, Values, and Limitations of each primary source (OPCVL). |
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How do I find Primary Sources?
Primary documents traditionally reside in university, museum and government archives. Increasingly these are becoming digitised and published online. This often requires you to trawl through the internet to locate and download these. Whilst many archives have pay walls and restricted access, others are free to access. Use the suggested links below to help you locate primary sources such as speeches, newspapers articles, images, government documents and other primary sources: