Using Primary and Secondary Sources

Writers classify research resources in two categories: primary sources and secondary

sources. Primary sources are direct, firsthand sources of information or data. For example, if you

were writing a paper about the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, the text of the First

Amendment in the Bill of Rights would be a primary source.

Other primary sources include the following:

 Research articles

 Literary texts

 Historical documents such as diaries or letters

 Autobiographies or other personal accounts

Secondary sources discuss, interpret, analyze, consolidate, or otherwise rework information from

primary sources. In researching a paper about the First Amendment, you might read articles about

legal cases that involved First Amendment rights, or editorials expressing commentary on the First

Amendment. These sources would be considered secondary sources because they are one step

removed from the primary source of information.

The following are examples of secondary sources:

 Magazine articles

 Biographical books

 Literary and scientific reviews

 Television documentaries
Types of Information Sources

As you conduct research when writing a paper, you will come across
various sources of information. The various sources are typically classified as
primary and secondary.

Primary Information Sources

A primary information source provides direct or firsthand information about an event,

person, object, or work of art. Primary sources are contemporary to what they describe.
They are original materials which have not been interpreted, condensed, or evaluated
by a second party.

Here are some examples of primary information sources.

 Diaries
 Experiments
 Poems
 Personal correspondences
 Autobiographies
 Letters
 Speeches
 Paintings
 Interviews
 Annual reports of an organization or agency
 Patents
 Court records
 Research articles

Secondary Information Sources

A secondary information source analyzes, interprets, or discusses information about a

primary information source. Secondary sources are subsequent to what they describe,
as they are produced at some point after a primary information source appears. Papers
written by students typically contain mostly secondary sources.

Here are some examples of secondary information sources.

 Textbooks
 Biographies
 Magazine articles
 Book reviews
 Histories
 Television documentaries
Tertiary Information Sources

A tertiary information source lists, compiles, or indexes primary and secondary

information sources. These sources are most often used to look up facts or to get a
general idea about something.

Here are some examples of tertiary information sources.

 Almanacs
 Chronologies
 Directories
 Manuals
 Handbooks
 Guidebooks
 Indexes
 Statistics