A primary source is generally defined as document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. Depending on your research topic and perspective, primary sources can include:
Image Credit: Wexford Borough Council Minute Books. Vol. 1, Part 2 (10 October 1786 – 29 June 1799). Wexford County Archive.
Unpublished primary sources are original documents and objects created by individuals but not formally published. Unpublished materials are typically found in archives, libraries, and museums. While researching unpublished materials often requires a physical visit, many make them available online.
Published primary Sources include a wide range of publications, including first-person accounts, memoirs, diaries, letters, newspapers, statistical reports, government documents, court records, photographs, and more. Some of these materials were not published at the time of their creation but have subsequently been published in a collected volume (e.g. Andrew Bryson's Ordeal: An Epiloque to the 1798 Rebellion.)
Find published sources by using Library Catalogs, Research Guides, and published bibliographies. To find primary sources in catalogs try using the following strategies: