These are contemporary accounts of an event, written by someone who experienced or witnessed the event in question. These original documents (i.e., they are not about another document or account) are often diaries, letters, memoirs, journals, speeches, manuscripts, interviews and other such unpublished works. They may also include published pieces such as newspaper or magazine articles (as long as they are written soon after the fact and not as historical accounts), photographs, audio or video recordings, research reports in the natural or social sciences, or original literary or theatrical works.
The function of these is to interpret primary sources, and so can be described as at least one step removed from the event or phenomenon under review. Secondary source materials, then, interpret, assign value to, conjecture upon, and draw conclusions about the events reported in primary sources. These are usually in the form of published works such as journal articles or books, but may include radio or television documentaries, or conference proceedings.
The types of primary sources you will use depend on what you are researching. This concept is further explained in the following video. Please pay attention to the types of resources you may use for conducting research in the Humanities.
Video: "What can you use as a primary source" (February, 2016) by University of Milwaukee Libraries is available on YouTube under a CC-BY 2.0 license.
Citation mining and deep web searching are two strategies to find primary sources for your research. These strategies are demonstrated in the following video. For assistance using either of these strategies, see ask a librarian.
Video: "Where do you find primary sources" (February, 2016) by University of Milwaukee Libraries is available on YouTube under a CC-BY 2.0 license.