Primary source
A direct, first-hand record of the thing you are studying, rather than someone else's account of it.
What counts as primary depends on the question. For a historian of the 1970s, a 1974 newspaper is primary. For a historian of 1970s journalism, so is a memo about that newspaper's editorial line. In the sciences, the primary source is the paper reporting the original experiment; in literature, the text itself.
The category is about relationship, not age or format. A tweet posted this morning is a primary source for research on that platform. A recent interview you conducted is primary data.
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See also
Secondary sourceA source that describes, analyses, or interprets primary material rather than presenting it directly.Tertiary sourceA source that compiles and summarises secondary literature: encyclopedias, textbooks, handbooks, and most reference works.Secondary citation (“as cited in”)Citing a source you have only read about in another source, by naming both and marking that you did not see the original.