Wikipedia:Identifying and using primary sources

This is an explanatory essay about the Wikipedia:No original research's Primary, secondary and tertiary sources subsection. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community.

Shortcuts WP:USEPRIMARY WP:PRIMARYUSE

Identifying and using primary sources requires careful thought and some extra knowledge on the part of Wikipedia's editors.

In determining the type of source, there are three separate, basic characteristics to identify:

• Is this source self-published or not? (If so, then see Wikipedia:Identifying and using self-published sources.)
• Is this source independent or third-party, or is it closely affiliated with the subject? (For this question, see Wikipedia:Independent sources.)
• Is this source primary or not?

Every possible combination of these three traits has been seen in sources on Wikipedia. Any combination of these three traits can produce a source that is usable for some purpose in a Wikipedia article. Identifying these characteristics will help you determine how you can use these sources.

This page deals primarily with the last question: Identifying and correctly using primary sources.