Writing & Citing Guide (AIC)

Primary Sources

Primary sources are materials created at the time of an event, or when an author is later describing their own research. 

Examples of Primary Sources

Search Tips for Primary Sources

To search for primary sources, use the name of the subject and description of the source:

• "Mass incarceration" AND Speeches
• Feminists AND Diary
• "Gulf War Syndrome" AND Study
• "Hillary Clinton" AND Interview
• "Martin Luther King" AND Speech

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources interpret and analyze primary sources. Secondary sources reflect an author's opinion.

Examples of Secondary Sources

• Biographies
• Books that discuss or analyze a topic
• Commentaries
• Criticisms
• Encyclopedias
• Histories
• Indexes and abstracts
• Journal or magazine articles from previous research
• Newspaper articles
• Reviews of art, books, movies, etc.
• Textbooks
• Theses and dissertations

Search Tips for Secondary Sources

To search for secondary sources, use the name of the subject and the description of the source:

• "Ain't I a woman?" AND Review
• "American Revolutionary War" and Book
• "Harriet Tubman" AND Biography
• "Sinners in the hands of an angry God" AND Criticism
• Terrorism AND Book

Thank you to the libraries at Texas Women's University for supplying much of this information.