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1364 views | 0 Vote this question as useful. 0 Vote this question as not useful. | Last updated on Jul 11, 2019 Books Sources Research Help
Primary sources are documents that contain first-hand information or original data on a topic. They are works created at the time of the event, by a person who directly experienced or reported on it at that time. They can come in many formats including: letters, diaries, journals, hand-written notes, newspaper articles, government documents, ephemera, or magazines.
Secondary sources are documents that are one step removed from the original source, event or experience. These works may describe, analyze, evaluate, or be derived from or based on a primary source. Secondary sources may critique or interpret a primary source. Examples of secondary sources include literature reviews, biographies, textbooks, or articles that explore documents from the past.
Examples by Subject
| Subject | Primary Source | Secondary Source |
|---|---|---|
| English | A poem | A journal article or book that analyzes the poem |
| History | A diary written by a historical figure | An article that discusses the significance of the diary, or analyzes the historical context in which the diary was written |
| Sociology | A study that interviews youth on their use of social media and experiences with bullying | A news report about the study and its findings |
| Psychology | An empirical study on the impact of clothing bias on mugshot identification accuracy | A blog post that discusses the results |
| Biology | An empirical study on species size and coexistence | A systematic review article about species coexistence that mentions the empirical study |