Primary sources of information   

Primary sources present original research methods or findings for the first time. They are the earliest information available, often aimed at a specialist audience. They also may present the “first hand” or eye-witness account of an event by a participant or observer. Because of this, they may only provide one point of view. Primary documents enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period.

Secondary sources of information  

Secondary sources do not present new research findings but rather provide a compilation or evaluation of previously presented materials (primary sources). They usually provide a broader perspective and frequently contain reference to relevant primary source documents. Secondary sources are written after the event - this can be days later (for example, newspaper or magazine articles), or much later (books, articles, reviews and criticisms, etc).