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. Secondary sources involve analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary sources.

Secondary sources can be found in books, journals, or Internet resources. When we talk about secondary sources, most of the time we are referring to the published scholarship on a subject, rather than supplementary material like bibliographies, encyclopedias, handbooks, and so forth.

Secondary sources were created by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions you’re researching. For a historical research project, secondary sources are generally scholarly books and articles. A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources.

For example, in Biblical studies some might call the Bible a primary source. But for some scholars, translators, our English Bible is a secondary source because the primary is the Bible in the original languages (Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic).

Biographical works. Reference books, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and atlases. Articles from magazines, journals, and newspapers after the event. History books and other popular or scholarly books.

Examples of Tertiary Sources: Dictionaries/encyclopedias (may also be secondary), almanacs, fact books, Wikipedia, bibliographies (may also be secondary), directories, guidebooks, manuals, handbooks, and textbooks (may be secondary), indexing and abstracting sources.

6 Free Online Resources for Primary Source Documents

1. National Archives. The National Archives is a fantastic resource.
2. DocsTeach. Also run by the National Archives, DocsTeach is full of activities for educators.
3. Spartacus Educational.
4. Fordham University.
5. The Avalon Project.
6. Life Magazine Photo Archive.
7. Easy iPad Access.

To find credible primary sources using Google, you need to start at Google’s Advanced Search page, which can be found in the “Settings” tab. First, go to google.com, and then look at the lower right hand side of the page. You’ll see “Settings”. When you click on “Settings”, you’ll see the “Advanced Search” link.

The title of the source. Type. What type of documents is the source?…Go through your secondary and tertiary sources.

1. From the publication, extract the name and contact information of the author (if possible).
2. Contact the author asking for the primary sources.
3. Discard the secondary or tertiary source.

Data from an experiment is a primary source. Secondary sources are one step removed from that. Secondary sources are based on or about the primary sources. Tertiary sources summarize or synthesize the research in secondary sources. For example, textbooks and reference books are tertiary sources.

A perusal of Section 65 makes it clear that secondary evidence may be given with regard to existence, condition or the contents of a document when the original is shown or appears to be in possession or power against whom the document is sought to be produced, or of any person out of reach of, or not subject to, the …

Scholars writing about historical events, people, objects, or ideas produce secondary sources because they help explain new or different positions and ideas about primary sources. These secondary sources generally scholarly books, including textbooks, articles, encyclopedias, and anthologies.

What is the Best Technique to Conduct Secondary Research?

1. Identify research topic and where to get the information from.
2. Gather existing data.
3. Compare data from different sources, and normalize it.
4. Analyze the data.

Common examples of secondary research include textbooks, encyclopedias, news articles, review articles, and meta analyses. When conducting secondary research, authors may draw data from published academic papers, government documents, statistical databases, and historical records.

Secondary data refers to data that is collected by someone other than the primary user. Common sources of secondary data for social science include censuses, information collected by government departments, organizational records and data that was originally collected for other research purposes.

Definition: Market research that’s already compiled and organized for you. Examples of secondary information include reports and studies by government agencies, trade associations or other businesses within your industry.