There are different kinds of sources of information or evidence that are categorized as primary, secondary, or tertiary materials. These classifications are based on originality, time, and origin. This informs the reader if the author is reporting information first hand or conveying the experiences second hand. Determining if a source is primary, secondary or tertiary can be hard to distinguish. Below are descriptions of the categories of sources with examples to help when researching.
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Primary Sources
Primary sources provide first hand accounts of an event or time period. Primary sources display original thinking, report on new discoveries or events, or share new information.
Examples of Primary Sources:
Original Research: Results of experiments, interviews, questionnaires, studies, surveys, archaeological digs
Personal Works: Diaries, identification papers, journals, letters, memoirs and autobiographies, speeches, theses
Government Records: Parliamentary proceedings, bills, acts, treaties, census data, court transcripts
Works of Literature: Novels, plays, poetry, short stories
Art and Artifacts: Paintings, sculptures, photographs, coins, objects
Journal Articles Reporting Original Research
Original Audio and Video Recordings: Feature films, news footage, performances
Music: Notated (print), recorded
Other: Advertisements, data files, maps, newspaper reports, patents, posters, and public opinion poll
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources provide second hand accounts regarding an event or time period. This can include an argument, interpretation, conclusion, or summary based on information or facts found from primary sources.
Examples of Secondary Sources:
Biographies
Books (literary criticism and textbooks)
Editorials and Commentaries
Encyclopedias
Journal Articles (not on original research)
Reviews
Theses (not on original research)
Tertiary Sources
Tertiary sources help researchers identify and locate primary and secondary sources.
Examples of Tertiary Sources:
Bibliographies
Indexes
Abstracts
Encyclopedias
Other Reference Resources
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