Primary documents in the field of political science consist of raw data, information, and original documents that have not yet been analyzed or interpreted. The object is to bring the researcher as close as possible to understanding the events and issues as they take place.  Here are some common primary documents in political science:

• Raw data sets

• Government documents (federal, state, local, and international, including the United Nations, the European Union, etc.)

• Firsthand accounts of events by the people who lived them, such as memoirs, autobiographies, speeches, interviews, diaries, letters, emails, oral histories, statements of witnesses, etc.

• Public opinion polls, surveys, and questionnaires

• Transcripts of court cases, legislative proceedings, congressional hearings, etc.

• News sources, political cartoons, newspapers advertisements, and transcripts of radio and TV broadcasts

• Corporate annual reports