http://www.touro.edu/library/GuidesTutorials/PrimarySecondary.asp
Touro College Libraries
Primary and Secondary Sources
Determine whether your topic will require primary or secondary sources
of information.
Primary sources
Primary sources are the most direct kind of information. They are
original documents or other first-hand evidence written or created during
the time you are studying. Different fields of study have different
types of primary sources. Common types of primary sources are diaries,
notes, letters, autobiographies, interviews, statistics, photographs, original
works of art, works of literature, and public documents.
Secondary sources
Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources. They
are opinions, commentaries, evaluations, selections, summaries, and/or
interpretations of primary materials. Common types of secondary sources
are biographies, dissertations, journal articles, and monographies.
They also include indexes, abstracts, and bibliographies used to locate
secondary sources.
Examples
Below are examples of primary and secondary sources in different fields
of study.
| Field of Study |
Primary Source |
Secondary Source |
| Business |
Annual report |
Historical stock analysis |
| Education |
Lesson plan |
Treatise on teaching methods |
| Health Sciences |
Laboratory notebook |
Article on research findings |
| Jewish Studies |
Sacred texts |
Talmudical encyclopedia |
| Literature |
Short story |
Critical character analysis |
| Psychology |
Patient interview videotape |
Psychological evaluation |
The distinctions between primary and secondary sources can be ambiguous.
A source may be a primary source for one research paper and a secondary
source for another. It depends on the relationship of the source
to the research question. The book Abe Lincoln Grows Up by
Carl Sandburg would be a primary source in a paper on the literary style
of Carl Sandburg and a secondary source in a paper on Abraham Lincoln.
Time is often a defining element. A recent newspaper article is not
usually a primary source, but a newspaper article from the 1860s may be
a primary source for research on the Civil War.
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