Alcover, Roxie jan, A.

BSCE 2A
Ms. Rosevic Baic
March 4, 2021

Primary and Secondary Source

Distinction of primary and secondary sources
A primary source gives you direct access to the subject of your research. Secondary sources provide second-
hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews, and
academic books. A secondary source describes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources.
Primay source
Primary sources provide a first-hand account of an event or time period and are considered to be
authoritative. They represent original thinking, reports on discoveries or events, or they can share new
information. 

Examples of Primary Sources
 archives and manuscript material.
 photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, films.
 journals, letters and diaries.
 speeches.
 scrapbooks.
 published books, newspapers and magazine clippings published at the time.
 government publications.
 oral histories.

Secondary Source
A secondary source of information is one that was created later by someone who did not experience first-
hand or participate in the events or conditions you're researching. For the purposes of a historical research
project, secondary sources are generally scholarly books and articles.

Examples of secondary sources include:

 journal articles that comment on or analyse research.
 textbooks.
 dictionaries and encyclopaedias.
 books that interpret, analyse.
 political commentary.
 biographies.
 dissertations.
 newspaper editorial/opinion pieces.