Skip to content | Skip to institutional links

Common menu bar links

Institutional links

Proactive Disclosure

ARCHIVED - A Nation's Chronicle: The Canada Gazette

Archived Content

This archived Web page remains online for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. This page will not be altered or updated. Web pages that are archived on the Internet are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats of this page on the Contact Us page.

Handout 1.3
Examining Primary and Secondary Sources

Previous | Next

Name: __________________________________________________

(1- Criteria for Defining Primary and Secondary Sources)

Primary sources:

Secondary sources:

created at the time of an event, or very soon after

created after event; sometimes a long time after something happened

created by someone who saw or heard an event themselves

often uses primary sources as examples

often one-of-a-kind, or rare

expresses an opinion or an argument about a past event

letters, diaries, photos and newspapers (may not always be primary sources)

history text books, historical movies and biographies (may not always be secondary sources)

2- Criteria for Examining Primary and Secondary Sources

Who provided the information?
Whose story is being told?
Whose story isn't being told?
What are possible biases of this source?
What is the purpose of the information?
Who is the audience for this information?
Who might disagree with the source?

Additional questions from class discussion:

1-_________________________________________________________________

2-_________________________________________________________________

3-_________________________________________________________________

4-_________________________________________________________________

5-_________________________________________________________________