TAYABAS WESTERN ACADEMY
Founded 1928 | Recognized by the Government | Candelaria, Quezon
GEC3 : Readings in Philippine History
Module 2 : Historical Sources
With the past as history's subject matter, the historian's most important research tools are historical sources.
How can I tell the difference between a primary and a secondary source or even tertiary sources? In general, historical
sources can be classified between primary and secondary sources. The classification of sources between these two
categories depends on the historical subject being studied. Aside from these two categories, tertiary sources emerged. It
consists of information which is distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources.
A. WRITTEN SOURCES
3 Main Types of Written Sources
1. Primary sources are original records of a certain event by people who have actually experienced or
witnessed it. These may include original works such as letters, legislations, newspaper articles, diaries,
interviews, government documents, reports, photographs, literature and other creative outputs.
Examples of Primary Sources:
Primary sources are not just documents and written records. There are many different kinds of primary
sources, including: first-person accounts, documents, physical artifacts, scientific data that has been collected
but not interpreted, and face-to-face mentors with specific knowledge or expertise. Primary sources also take a
variety of for-mats—examples of these are listed below.
• Audio—oral histories or memoirs, interviews, music
• Images—photographs, videos, film, fine art
• Objects—clothing (fashion or uniforms), tools, pottery, gravestones, inventions, weapons,
memorabilia
• Statistics—census data, population statistics, weather records
• Text—letters, diaries, original documents, legal agreements, treaties, maps, laws, advertisements,
recipes, genealogical information, sermons/lectures
Another good definition of primary source is provided by Louis Gottschalk (1950) in his book
Understanding History. According to him, a primary source is “the testimony of an eyewitness, or of a witness by any
other of the senses, or of a mechanical device like the Dictaphone–that is, of one who or that which was present at the events
of which he or it tells.” Based on this definition, a myriad of examples include the following: diaries, audio
recordings, artifacts, letters, newspaper articles and documents such as birth certificates, marriage
contracts, and death certificates. Visual sources like works of arts, photographs and videos are also
included in this category.
2. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are records based on primary sources. They explain a certain event
of the past through evaluation and interpretation of the records created during a historical period. These
may include researches, textbooks, journals, commentaries, biographies, and criticism or reviews of literary
and creative works.
Gottschalk (1950) defines a secondary source as “the testimony of anyone who is not an eyewitness–that is,
one who was not present at the events of which he tells.” Thus, the main difference between it and a primary source
is the presence of the writer or author or observer to the event being described.
Secondary sources may include sources as bibliographies, commentaries, annotations,
dictionaries, encyclopedias, journal articles, magazines, monographs, and textbooks.
How do Primary and Secondary Sources differ?
While primary sources are the original records created by firsthand witnesses of an event, secondary sources
are documents, texts, images, and objects about an event created by someone who typically referenced the primary
sources for their information. Textbooks are excellent examples of secondary sources.
To illustrate, if students wish to study the 1987 Constitution, the primary sources include the Record of the
1986 Constitutional Commission, proclamations, speeches of the 48 representatives who collectively drafted the current
Constitution, and the text of the Constitution itself. Its secondary sources, on the hand, may include textbooks,
annotations, and published opinions about the Constitution.
Primary and secondary sources are both important in studying history. However, it is preferred that students
use primary sources in their analysis and synthesis of the past events. The use of primary sources is important because of
the following reasons:
College Department | AY 2024-2025
GEC3 | Readings in Philippine History
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TAYABAS WESTERN ACADEMY
Founded 1928 | Recognized by the Government | Candelaria, Quezon
GEC3 : Readings in Philippine History
a) Direct contact with the original records and artifacts invites students to explore the content with active and
deeper analysis, and to respond thoughtfully;
b) Critical thinking is developed as students probe the context, purpose, meaning, bias, and perspectives in
their analysis of the past;
c) In the interaction with the various sources from the past, a learn-led inquiry is being fostered;
d) There is a realization that history is a reflection of various perspectives of those who interpret the past
events; and
e) It brings back to story to history allowing students to share the author’s perspectives.
3. Tertiary Sources
These are sources that index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources. Some reference
materials and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or
simply repackage ideas or other information. Tertiary sources are usually not credited to a particular author.
Examples of Tertiary Sources:
Dictionaries/encyclopedias (may also be secondary), almanacs, fact books, Wikipedia, bibliographies
(may also be secondary), directories, guidebooks, manuals, handbooks, and textbooks (may be
secondary), indexing and abstracting sources.
B. UNWRITTEN SOURCES
Unwritten sources include the following: (1) archaeological evidence; (2) oral evidence; and (3) material
evidence.
Types of Unwritten Sources
1. Archaeological Evidence. Archaeological evidence refers to remains such as artifacts and ecofacts which help
a historian in determining the culture of the area where the evidence was found. Similarly, the ways of life of
the people, including their artistic expressions, have been etched in these materials. Archaeological pieces of
evidence include tools, ornaments, fixtures, etc.
2. Oral Evidence. Oral evidence pertains to folk tales, myths, legends, folk songs and popular rituals. These
sources might contain information pertaining to the culture of the people who created them. These pieces of
evidence can also give a glimpse of the people economic activities at a given time, especially their socio-political
organization and social condition.
3. Material Evidence. Material evidence includes photographs, art works, videos, and sound recordings.
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GEC3 | Readings in Philippine History
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