Your instructor may ask you to use information from primary or secondary sources.

Primary sources provide firsthand evidence about an historical event, work of art, literary text, or person. Primary sources can be in either a textual(i.e. written) or non-textual(e.g. painting) format.

If you're using a primary source to write a paper, you'll be looking at the original source to get evidence to make and prove your observations or arguments. For example, studying Van Gogh through one of his paintings.

Secondary sources analyse or interpret events, historical periods, scientific theories, and works of art and literature. Analysis is based on primary sources and evidence. Secondary sources are usually in a textual format (i.e. books or articles) and are produced after the event that is being analyzed.

If you're using a secondary source to write a paper or do an assignment, you'll be reading and assessing someone else's analysis or experiment, determining the validity of their opinion, and using their judgments, opinions, or findings to support or analyze your own thesis.

Here is a list of some examples of primary and secondary resources.

Key Resources
Using Primary Sources on the Web
Identifying Primary and Secondary Sources