Primary and Secondary Sources
The terms “primary source” and “secondary source” are typically used to categorize different types of sources of information that are used to construct a text. A primary source refers to information containing first-hand accounts of an event or subject. Memoirs, letters, and interviews are a few examples of primary sources. Secondary sources consist of information that has been gathered and interpreted after the fact and is often a text written by scholars and researchers. In the course of conducting research in fields such as the social sciences, arts, humanities, or natural sciences, the ability to distinguish between primary and secondary sources is an essential skill. In short, the main characteristic separating primary sources from secondary sources is the degree to which the author of a work is removed from the subject being described. The key question to be answered in this case is whether the author is reporting information first-hand or simply conveying information about the experiences of others in a second-hand fashion. In any event, referencing primary and secondary sources is a critical part of any form of research.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary sources are materials that provide direct first-hand information relating to a particular subject. Serving as the basis for further study, primary sources are original materials that allow researchers to develop an understanding of an event or time that is as close to what actually happened as possible. Primary sources can come in various forms, with some being written by a person with first-hand knowledge of an event, and others simply being published at the time that event occurred. In many cases, primary sources present the individual perspective of someone who participated in or observed a given event. When it comes to scientific research, primary sources typically offer new information, report recent discoveries, or present original thinking.
There exists a diverse array of potential primary sources, some of which are written and some of which are non-written. Some examples of written primary sources include autobiographies, diaries, correspondence, interviews, materials published at the time being researched, speeches, Internet communications, original
documents, research data, official records, government documents, technical reports, and scientific journal articles that report the results of experimental research. Examples of non-written primary sources include pictures, works of art, period artifacts, audio recordings, and video recordings.
SECONDARY SOURCES
Whereas primary sources offer a first-hand account of a particular subject, secondary sources simply provide some sort of description, discussion, analysis, evaluation, or commentary on subjects reported in primary sources. As such, secondary sources are usually at least one step removed from the subject in question and are often written with the benefit of hindsight. This means that while secondary sources do not have the same immediacy as primary sources, they can offer key historical context or critical perspectives.
As with primary sources, there are many kinds of secondary sources, including both written and non-written sources. Examples of written secondary sources include biographies, reference books, articles from periodicals, reviews, scholarly books, works of criticism, commentaries, and textbooks. Examples of non-written secondary sources include documentary films, podcasts, and certain other video or sound recordings.
Depending on the research question at hand, a material that might normally be categorized as a secondary source can actually serve as a primary source. This typically occurs when the person, context, or technique that produced the source in question is the main focus of one’s research. For example, a documentary about World War II would be a secondary source to a researcher studying the causes of that war, but that same documentary would be a primary source to a researcher studying filmmaking techniques utilized in wartime documentaries. As another example, a review of one of Edgar Allan Poe’s (1809–1849) short stories would be a secondary source for someone researching Poe’s published works, but a primary source to someone researching literary criticism of Poe’s writing.
IDENTIFYING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
Properly identifying primary and secondary sources is a crucial part of conducting quality research. With that in mind, there are many helpful clues to look for when attempting to determine whether a source is primary or secondary. Primary sources are created at the time of or shortly after the event being described and created by someone who actually witnessed the event themselves. Primary sources present information that has not been analyzed or commented upon. They are also often written from a first-person perspective. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are written long after the event being described took place and frequently use primary sources as examples. Secondary sources also often involve some expression of opinion regarding the event in question and are typically written from third-person perspective.
TERTIARY SOURCES
In addition to primary and secondary sources, there is also a third category of source materials known as tertiary sources. Tertiary sources are designed to help researchers identify and locate primary and secondary sources. Since these categories are not mutually exclusive, a given source can be considered both secondary and tertiary in some cases. Two examples of tertiary sources are indexes and bibliographies. While indexes guide readers to the location of specific information within a book, bibliographies provide readers with a list of all works created by a particular person or used during the course of research. Other examples of tertiary sources, some of which can also be regarded as secondary sources, include almanacs, chronologies, manuals, and textbooks.
Primary Source and Secondary Source Scenarios
When you conduct research, a wide range of source types is available to you. To make sense of what you find, you have to tell the difference between primary sources and secondary sources. Imagine this scenario. You're watching TV and hear the President giving a live speech. If you record the speech and then use that recording in a research project, you'll be using a primary source. It is the actual words spoken by the President. Now let's say you weren't able to record the live speech. So the next day you read an article in the newspaper that summarized the speech. You got this information secondhand because it went from the speaker -- the President -- to another source -- the newspaper article -- and then into your research paper. This is a secondary source. You should use both primary and secondary sources in your research paper. Use primary sources first, because they are firsthand accounts. If you're writing about a speech, you must use a copy of the original speech -- the primary source. If you're writing about a song, you need a copy of the original song lyrics -- a primary source. These sources will be your chief support for ideas in your research paper, so you'll want to quote extensively from them. Secondary sources are someone's interpretation of a primary source. For example, reviews of a movie or a book that evaluate the work are secondary sources, an historian's interpretations of the causes of a war reflect that author's understanding, which develop from the primary sources the author took into account. Remember that you're using these primary and secondary sources to support your own argument or thesis. Weigh the strength of each source as it relates to the purpose of your research, and only use those sources that strengthen your argument.
