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Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary are the three
types sources that you can use for research.
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We will discuss the differences among these and
look at examples for each type.
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A primary source is an original idea, concept, or
creation.
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It is current with the time period in which it is
created.
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Primary sources include material items like
artifacts as well as personal journals, diaries,
letters, e-mails, and even text messages.
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Newspaper articles reporting current events are
primary.
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Other examples include photographs, paintings,
sculptures, poetry, novels, and other artistics and
creative works.
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Finally, articles and books recounting original
research and studies count as primary sources.
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Secondary sources offer interpretation, analysis,
and commentary on primary sources.
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For example a scientist publishes the results of
their experiment in a journal.
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This is original content and a primary source.
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Another researcher then publishes an article
discussing the results of this experiment.
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Although both are articles, the second article
would be considered a secondary source.
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Secondary sources are commonly found as
articles in newspapers, magazines, and journals
as well as books and websites.
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Tertiary sources offer information that has been
gathered and distilled from primary and
secondary sources.
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The most common examples are reference works
like encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs,
handbooks, and fact books.
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There can be and often is an overlap between
Secondary and Tertiary resources.
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What qualities define each is dependent on your
institution and your specific discipline.
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Let’s quickly review the three.
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I’m doing research on an art topic.
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A primary source would be a painting by Mark
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An article or book analyzing this painting or the
artist would be a secondary source
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while an encylopedia containing entries on either
would be tertiary.
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If I was researching a physics topic, a primary
source could be the paper The Foundation of the
General Theory of Relativity by Albert Einstein
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while the secondary source would be an article
discussing this theory.
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A tertiary source would consist of an encyclopedia
entry on the Theory of Relativity.