Q. What is a primary source?

A primary source is an original source that documents an event in time, a person or an idea.

Some examples of primary sources are:

• raw data
• original research (journal articles, books) 
• diary entries, letters and other correspondence
• photographs, artifacts
• audio or video broadcasts (that catch events as they unfold) 
• eyewitness accounts or interviews
• legal documents, government documents, public records (e.g. birth certificates)
• records or other documents created by organizations