When reading a primary or a secondary document, readers must be aware of the a. status in his or her society b. grammar and spelling c. bias and prejudice d. style of writing

Explanation:

Primary sources are the raw materials of historical research - they are the documents or artifacts closest to the topic of investigation. Often they are created during the time period which is being studied (correspondence, diaries, newspapers, government documents, art) but they can also be produced later by eyewitnesses or participants (memoirs, oral histories). You may find primary sources in their original format (usually in an archive) or reproduced in a variety of ways: books, microfilm, digital, etc.

Note: The definition of a primary source may vary depending upon the discipline or context.

Examples include:

Artifacts (e.g. coins, plant specimens, fossils, furniture, tools, clothing, all from the time under study)

Audio recordings (e.g. radio programs, oral histories)

Diaries

Internet communications on email, listservs

Interviews (e.g., oral histories, telephone, e-mail)

Journal articles published in peer-reviewed publications

Letters

Newspaper articles written at the time

Original Documents (i.e. birth certificate, will, marriage license, trial transcript)

Patents

Photographs

Proceedings of Meetings, conferences and symposia

Records of organizations, government agencies (e.g. annual report, treaty, constitution, government document)

Speeches

Survey Research (e.g., market surveys, public opinion polls)

Video recordings (e.g. television programs)

Works of art, architecture, literature, and music (e.g., paintings, sculptures, musical scores, buildings, novels, poems)

Websites

Secondary sources offer an analysis or a restatement of primary sources. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. Some secondary sources not only analyze primary sources, but also use them to argue a contention or persuade the reader to hold a certain opinion.  Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence.

Note: The definition of a secondary source may vary depending upon the discipline or context.

Examples include:

Bibliographies (also considered tertiary)

Biographical works

each played a major role in ending the cold war.

evaluate the extent to which the seven years' war (french and indian war, 1754–1763) marked a turning point in american relations with great britain, analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the period before the war to the period after it.