There are two types of primary sources: data collected directly from a source, and legal documents.
Data directly from a source must be information collected without intermediary assessment (such as coding or interpretation). It can be direct quotes from interviewed persons, documents they create, and counts of things like “number of microbes in the water.”
Legal documents include mainly treaties, the written decisions of courts (often called 'cases,') and Codes. For more information see our International Law guide: http://libguides.uvic.ca/international-law