Each academic discipline creates and uses primary and secondary sources differently. The definition of a primary source only makes sense in the context of a specific discipline or field of inquiry.

Finding Primary Sources. Looking for Library of Congress primary sources? There are a few different ways to discover the best sources for you. Select from a curated set Primary Source Sets – Each set collects primary sources on a specific frequently-taught topic, along with historical background information and teaching ideas. It is important to examine primary sources with a critical eye since they represent unfiltered records of the past. Below are some questions to consider once you've found a primary source(s): RUSA's Guide to Evaluating Primary Sources: Who is the author or creator? What biases or assumptions may have influenced the author or creator?

Primary Sources Morse Code

• In the humanities and the arts, a primary document might be an original creative work.
  
• It might be a part of the historical record written about, or in proximity to, an event.
  
• In the social sciences, it might be survey data.
  
• In the sciences, it might be a publication of original research.

Primary Sources Of Law Include

Here are two definitions that try to capture the elusive nature of primary documents.

A definition from Cornell University: 'Primary sources are the main text or work that you are discussing (e.g. a sonnet by William Shakespeare; an opera by Mozart);
actual data or research results (e.g. a scientific article presenting original findings; statistics);
or historical documents (e.g. letters, pamphlets, political tracts, manifestoes).'
['What is a Source?'Recognizing and Avoiding Plagiarism. Cornell University. College of Arts and Sciences.]

A definition from Yale University: 'A primary source is firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. The nature and value of a source cannot be determined without reference to the topic and questions it is meant to answer. The same document, or other piece of evidence, may be a primary source in one investigation and secondary in another. The search for primary sources does not, therefore, automatically include or exclude any category of records or documents.'
[Yale University Library. Primary Sources Research Colloquium in History.]

Answer the questions below about your source. If you answer, “yes” to any of the following questions, there is a good chance the source is PRIMARY.

Did the author personally witness or experience the subject in question?
Does the author know about this subject because of personal experience rather than having just read about it?
Is this source a diary, letter, memoir, autobiography, oral history, or interview of a person with first hand experience of the subject?
Is this source an official document or record published at the time of the event by the government, courts, or another organization?
Is this source a newspaper or magazine article written at the time of the event?
Is this a creative work such as a novel, poem, art or music piece created by a firsthand witness of the subject in question?
Is this an excerpt from a primary source, such as the constitution or a letter written by a Civil War soldier that has been imbedded in a secondary source, such as a textbook?Remember, secondary sources may include reprints of primary sources.
Is this an artifact or relic such as jewelry, pottery, clothing, music, art, architecture, dance or weaponry that was used by witnesses of the subject in question?
Is this a compilation of raw scientific data or statistics, such as census statistics published by the U.S. Census Bureau, that is being published without commentary or interpretation?