Primary
sources contain a first-hand account of the information
presented.
Examples are:
FYI- For a
history student, a primary source is often a document,
recording or other source of information that was created at
roughly the time being studied, by an authoritative source,
usually one with direct personal knowledge of the events
being described. For a literature student, a primary source
could be a poem, a play or other literary work.
Secondary sources
are writings that build on primary sources.
Examples are:
-
books
that interpret or analyze the primary sources
-
conference publications
-
theses
and dissertations
-
encyclopedias and handbooks that discuss the primary
sources
-
periodical articles
FYI-Secondary sources are writings that analyze and
interpret the primary sources. They are mainly used for
presenting the views of others about your primary sources.
Opinions and interpretations of other scholars bring
credibility to your paper. For a history student, secondary
sources could be for example writings about a certain work
of a historical era.
Tertiary sources are
usually indexes or encyclopedias that refer to primary and
secondary sources.
Examples are:
-
encyclopedias and handbooks that discuss the
secondary sources
-
bibliographies
-
abstract publications
-
periodical indexes
FYI-It is
usually better to start from tertiary or secondary sources
to find background information on your topic and references
to primary sources. When you have read what other scholars
have to say about the topic, you can better judge the
primary sources you will be using in your research.
