primary evidence
Firsthand source material
Primary evidence is the original, firsthand source of information in legal or research contexts—the actual document, object, or testimony rather than a copy or secondhand account.
A contract itself is primary evidence; someone's description of what the contract said is not.
In law, primary evidence is generally required when available, with secondary evidence admitted only when the original cannot be produced.
The prosecution presented the signed confession as primary evidence.
- affidavitsSworn written legal statements
- raw dataUnanalyzed collected information
- eyewitness testimonyEvidence from direct observers
- firsthand accountsReports from direct observers
- sworn statementsTestimony given under oath
empirical data · manuscripts · letters · sense perception · blueprints · first principles · blood · transcripts · birth certificates · medical records · oral histories · deeds · census data · contracts · diaries · official reports · photographs · treaties
primary evidenceindirect evidence
Proof needing inference
hearsay · secondary sources · circumstantial evidence · commentary · analysis
primary, prime, primal, primacy, primarily, primer, primitive, primordial, primate