Why you should care about primary sources

A friend once complained that their blog posts weren’t getting the level of attention they wanted. As I learned more about their content, I began to see why they might struggle to stand out from the crowd. They only seemed to use secondary sources while leaving primary sources untouched. I think there are a lot of content creators like my friend. They know research is important, but they don’t understand the importance of using a balanced array of sources. In this post, I’ll be talking about primary sources based on my own experience as a historian of the British constitution and how they can help you produce better, more authoritative content.

What are primary sources?

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that research is a great way to make your content stand out. Primary sources provide first-hand accounts of an event or a topic. They’re distinct from secondary sources, which often seek to explain or interpret primary sources. A book on agriculture written by an ancient Roman would be a primary source, whereas a book about Roman agriculture written by a 21st-century scholar would be a secondary source. 

Why are primary sources important?

Primary sources are uniquely valuable because they were created by people who actually experienced what they’re writing about. They provide a unique perspective that can add both depth and life to your work. Let’s say you’re writing about life at the royal court in Tudor England. You could simply tell your readers that the kings and queens of that period were perpetually on display. But you could also mention that Giovanni Michieli, Venice’s ambassador to England, actually went so far as to discuss Queen Mary I’s menstrual problems in a 1557 report to the Doge and Senate. 

An anecdote like that adds a human element to the story. Even if someone has embraced the social-media fueled panopticon that is 21st-century life, they’re likely going to be taken aback by Michieli’s casual discussion of Mary’s gynecological problems. Chances are, it’s going to stick in your readers’ mind far more than a bland excursion through the secondary literature. 

Where can content creators find primary sources?

You should start by identifying organizations, institutions, or individuals related to your topic. If you’re not sure where to start, the bibliographies of secondary sources can point you toward useful primary sources. 

Government archives

Traditionally, finding primary sources often meant visiting an archive. For example, both the US and the UK maintain national archives that have collected vast amounts of primary sources relating to the government of their respective countries. Given the vast reach of the modern government, these sources can touch almost any facet of life. While most of archival material hasn’t been digitized, archives are making more and more of an effort to put material online. 

The UK National Archives is particularly good in that regard. At the end of each year when the government transfers material to the archives under the 20-year rule, the National Archives posts a list of highlights from the newly released files (sadly, these links don’t stay up for long, so you have to act quickly). Pro Top: If you can’t visit an archive in person, you can often hire an independent researcher to photograph materials on your behalf.

While government-run archives tend to allow a wide range of researchers to use their facilities, institutional archives may be less accommodating if you can’t convince them that you have a legitimate reason to consult their material.

You should also be aware that archives have different policies regarding the reuse of their material. Some are quite permissive, while others are more restrictive. The purpose of your reuse can also make a difference, as archives tend to be more lenient when it comes to non-commercial usage. They may also expect you to include certain language acknowledging their ownership of the material. For example, the UK’s Royal Archives may expect you to include a statement like this: “I would like to express my gratitude to His Majesty King Charles III for his gracious permission to quote from the Royal Archives.”

Freedom of Information requests

Many countries also have legislation that gives people the right to access information (including primary sources) held by their government (e.g., the US’s Freedom of Information Act 1967 and the UK’s Freedom of Information Act 2000).While some countries only allow their own citizens to make requests, others (including the US and the UK) are far more permissive and allow anyone to use these Acts. 

You should be aware, however, that making a Freedom of Information request is not like pressing the easy button. If the government doesn’t want to give you the information, you may have a fight on your hands. While many of my requests to the British government have been answered within a month, others have taken much longer to resolve. In some cases, I’ve even had to go to court. When this happens, it can take a year or more to get the information. I’ve never used the American FOIA, but I understand that it can be even slower. 

Luckily, there are sites like MuckRock.com (for US requests) and WhatDoTheyKnow.com (for UK requests) that allow you to see requests that others have made as well as any information gleaned from those requests. This can be a great way to get your hands on primary sources without having to battle the bureaucracy.

Academic libraries and special collections

Academic libraries can also be good places to find primary sources. For example, Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library has a large collection of manuscripts relating to organized labor and urban affairs. In addition to original documents, these institutions also have many published collections of primary sources on their shelves as well as curated collections of primary sources like ProQuest’s UK Government Collection. Note that libraries attached to major research institutions will generally have access to more material than smaller institutions such as your local public library.  

You don’t necessarily have to be a student or an alumnus/a to use an academic library. Many of them allow members of the wider community to obtain a library card, though their online collections may be restricted to on-site use. The librarians at these institutions can be invaluable resources for finding research materials.   

Online archives and digital resources

If you don’t have easy access to an academic library, online archives such as Google Books, the Internet Archive, or the Hathi Trust may be able to help you find what you need since their vast collections of books include many published collections of primary sources that are no longer in copyright. Don’t be put off by the age of some of these books. Depending on what you’re researching, a collection of primary sources published in the 18th century might be more valuable than a more modern work.  

Company and institutional websites

If you’re researching a specific company or institution, their website may offer valuable primary sources in the form of old press releases or news articles. Unfortunately, they’re not always good about maintaining access in perpetuity. This is where the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine can come in handy. 

Whenever possible, it’s always best to consult the original version of a primary source instead of relying on transcripts. Even the most diligent transcriber can make mistakes.

A word of caution about AI

You may be tempted to ask an AI for help finding primary sources, but I’d advise against this. I’ve found that even the simplest queries can produce laughable results. Not only do AIs often struggle to differentiate primary and secondary sources, but their desire to be helpful above all else can lead them to fabricate sources.   

What are some of the problems with primary sources?

Like all sources, primary sources have their pitfalls. There can be a temptation to assume that, because someone has firsthand experience of something, their account must be perfectly credible. But humans are a complex constellation of biases that shape our perceptions of the world around us. Even the most honest among us lie about something, even if it’s only to ourselves. 

Always approach a primary source with a critical eye. Here are some questions you can ask yourself when assessing material:

1. Who created this? 
2. Who was the intended audience?
3. Why was it created? 
4. Could the creator have been biased in some way? 
5. Does it seem like something is missing?
6. Does this need to be verified by cross-checking it with other sources? 

Intelligent assessment of primary sources is particularly important in an age where AI often scrapes and remixes content without proper attribution, making a jumbled and confusing mess in the process.

For more advice on vetting sources, check out “How to fact-check online information” and “5 steps to verify social media source accuracy for publishers”. 

Ignore primary sources at your peril

Because primary sources can be harder to find than secondary sources, it can be tempting to ignore them in favor of easier pickings. But if all you’re doing is repackaging other people’s insights, your content is probably going to feel derivative. You might even end up propagating misinformation. 

When the cRPG Baldur’s Gate III first came out, many online guides said that players should hang onto the various metal ingots they found since they could be used later on in the game to upgrade equipment. There’s just one problem: there is no late-game workbench in BG3. The ingots’ only purpose is to be sold to vendors for a bit of quick gold. 

I suspect that this error arose because, while the first part of BG3 had been available in early access for years, the later portions of the game were only revealed upon the game’s final release. That put creators in a bit of a bind. BG3 was a hotly anticipated title, but it also has a massive amount of material. In a bid to get their content out as soon as possible, some creators may have made educated guesses about the latter parts of the game rather than waiting to experience it firsthand. Given that there are ingots in the early part of the game and given that Larian Studio’s other big cRPG, Divinity Original Sin II, does have an upgrade system, it was logical to assume there might be something similar in BG3. But in their haste, they ended up sowing the seeds of misinformation.

Even though the full game has been out for several months now, I still see misinformation about the presence of a workbench crop up from time to time. But it just goes to show that primary sources can make all the difference in the world. Actually playing the game would’ve made it clear that there is no workbench, but problems start to creep in when creators rely solely on secondary sources. Remember, you want your content to be useful to your audience. If you’re giving them misinformation, you’re not helping them.

Primary sources show your expertise

Since primary sources are often harder to find and interpret than secondary sources, using them reinforces the idea that you’re serious about making a meaningful contribution to your field. They also help Google understand that you possess expertise. This is particularly important given that expertise is one of the criteria that their search raters use to assess a site. By bolstering your claim to expertise, you’re more likely to improve your ranking in Google’s search results. 

The bottom line

Primary sources are the keystone of authoritative content. They’re created by people with firsthand knowledge of something, and they provide unique perspectives that you can’t find anywhere else. But like any source, they aren’t infallible and need to be properly scrutinized. But the upside is that they can make your content come alive by adding details that stick in your readers’ minds. Primary sources can also help you stand out from the creators who take the path of least resistance and limit themselves to easily accessible secondary sources. Finally, they can help you demonstrate your expertise to Google. In short, using primary sources can be a win for everyone. 

To learn more about primary sources, check out: this guide from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or this one from Kansas State University. This database from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville includes some helpful collections of primary sources.

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