Learning Outcomes
- Differentiate between primary and secondary sources in research.
- Identify characteristics of reliable primary and secondary sources.
- Develop skills to locate and access relevant sources.
- Evaluate the credibility and relevance of sources for a research topic.
- Learn to synthesize information from both types of sources.
- Understand how to present a balanced literature review.
- Analyze interpretations of primary sources in secondary sources.
- Use sources effectively to support academic arguments.
- Ensure proper citation to maintain ethical research practices.
Review of Literature – Different
Sources
There
are two types of sources: primary and secondary.
Primary Source
A primary source is an original material created at the time a historical event occurs, or soon afterward, and can be original documents, creative works, material published in modern times, institutional and government documents, or relics and artifacts. Primary sources will usually be the main objects of your analysis. Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Primary research gives you direct access to the subject of your research. Primary sources provide a first-hand account of an event or time period and are considered to be authoritative. They are created by witnesses or recorders at or near the time of the event. They have not been filtered through further interpretation or evaluation. Primary sources such as research articles often do not explain terminology and theoretical principles in detail. Thus, readers of primary scholarly research should have foundational knowledge of the subject area.
Examples
of Primary Sources
Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. Diaries, letters, memoirs, personal journals, speeches, manuscripts, direct interviews, and other unpublished works can be primary sources and typically serve as the main objects of an analysis or research work. Published pieces, including newspaper or magazine articles, photographs, audio or video recordings, research reports in the natural or social sciences, or original literary or theatrical works are all considered primary sources. Theses, dissertations, scholarly journal articles (research based), some government reports, symposia and conference proceedings, original artwork, poems, letters, memos, personal narratives, autobiographies, and correspondence.
Secondary
Source
Secondary
sources are created by someone who did not experience firsthand or participate
in the events or conditions being researched. Secondary sources are used to
interpret and analyze primary sources. They are used to interpret, assign value
to, conjecture upon, and draw conclusions about the events reported in primary
sources. Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from
other researchers. Thus, secondary research describes, interprets, or
synthesizes primary sources. Secondary sources are works that analyze, assess
or interpret a historical event, era or phenomenon. Secondary sources put
primary sources in context. They comment, summarize, interpret or analyze
information found in primary sources. This type of source is written for a
broad audience and will include definitions of discipline specific terms,
history relating to the topic, significant theories and principles, and
summaries of major studies/events as related to the topic. Use secondary
sources to obtain an overview of a topic and/or identify primary resources.
Examples of Secondary Sources
Textbooks, edited works, books, and articles that interpret or review research works, histories, biographies, literary criticism and interpretation, reviews of law and legislation, political analyses, and commentaries are all examples of secondary sources. Examples include journal articles, reviews, and academic books. Publications such as magazine articles, book reviews, commentaries, encyclopedias, almanacs.
| Primary Sources | Secondary Source |
|---|---|
| Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. | Secondary Sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. |
Primary sources convey first-hand experience of the event or time period you’re studying. |
Secondary sources convey the experiences of others, or “second-hand” information; they often synthesize a collection of primary sources. |
| They represent original thinking, reports on discoveries or events, or they can share new information. | They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. |
They are usually the first formal appearance of original research. |
Secondary sources involve analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary sources. |
| Examples of primary sources include manuscripts, newspapers, speeches, cartoons, photographs, video, and artifacts. | Examples of secondary sources include textbooks, articles, and reference books. |
They contain raw information and thus, must be interpreted by researchers. |
Secondary sources often use generalizations, analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of primary sources. |
Reference
Scribbr.
(n.d.). Primary and secondary sources.
Scribbr. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://www.scribbr.com/working-with-sources/primary-and-secondary-sources/
Western Governors University. (2023, April 23). What’s the difference between primary and secondary sources? Western Governors University. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-difference-between-primary-secondary-source2304.html
UNSW Library. (n.d.). Primary and secondary sources. University of New South Wales Library. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://www.library.unsw.edu.au/using-the-library/information-resources/primary-and-secondary-sources
University of Maryland, Baltimore. (n.d.). Primary and secondary sources. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://umb.libguides.com/PrimarySources/secondary
University of Minnesota Crookston. (n.d.). Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. University of Minnesota Crookston. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://crk.umn.edu/library/primary-secondary-and-tertiary-sources
National University. (n.d.). Primary and secondary sources. National University. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://resources.nu.edu/researchprocess/primaryandsecondary
University of California, Merced. (n.d.). Source types. UC Merced Library. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/source-types
Sam Houston State University. (n.d.). Primary and secondary sources. Sam Houston State University Library. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://shsulibraryguides.org/c.php?g=86883&p=637550
