Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Primary Sources	Secondary Sources
First-hand evidence or eyewitness account of an event, circumstance or personality.	Often second-hand account of an event, circumstance, or personality made after the time period being recorded.
Tells about the event without adding any interpretation or commentary that may convey attitudes from a later time: no historical analysis.	Interprets, analyzes or explains a historical event and the evidence of that event: retrospective analysis.
Reflects the individual viewpoint or bias (a one-sided point of view) of the participant/recorder.	Usually attempts to be objective and balanced, but may reflect the biases of the historian/recorder.
Reflects the biases and attitudes of the time period in which it was written or produced.	Could convey the attitudes of the time period in which it was written or produced.