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Primary Sources
In the sciences, primary sources are very specific. Primary source documents in the sciences focus on original research, ideas, or findings and are most often published in scholarly journals or presented at academic conferences. These articles or presentations mark the first publication of such research; they present new data and detail the researcher’s methodology and results.
Primary sources are factual, not interpretive, and include sources such as
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources in the sciences analyze and interpret primary research results. These sources usually have the goal of summarizing, explaining, or providing an overview of a topic, and can help place the research in context. Secondary literature is often published in books, magazines, or journals.
Secondary sources include sources such as
video from University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries
Informational sources can be classified roughly into three groups - primary, secondary, and tertiary - that reflect their originality. These groups are defined generally below.
Primary
Primary sources are original, uninterpreted information.
Unedited, firsthand access to words, images, or objects created by persons directly involved in an activity or event or speaking directly for a group. This is information before it has been analyzed, interpreted, commented upon, spun, or repackaged. Depending upon the context, these may include research reports, sales receipts, speeches, e-mails, original artwork, manuscripts, photos, diaries, personal letters, spoken stories/tales/interviews, diplomatic records, etc.
Think of physical evidence or eyewitness testimony in a court trial.
Secondary
Secondary sources interpret, analyze, or summarize.
Commentary upon, or analysis of, events, ideas, or primary sources. Because they are often written significantly after events by parties not directly involved but who have special expertise, they may provide historical context or critical perspectives. Examples are scholarly books, journals, magazines, criticism, interpretations, and so forth.
Think of a lawyer's final summation or jury discussion in a court trial.
Tertiary
Tertiary sources compile, index, or organize sources.
Sources which analyzed, compiled and digest secondary sources included mostly in abstracts, bibliographies, handbooks, encyclopedias, indexes, chronologies, etc.
Think of an index that lists all the cases heard by this court during the year.
In the humanities and social sciences, primary sources are the direct evidence or first-hand accounts of events without secondary analysis or interpretation. A primary source is a work that was created or written contemporary with the period or subject being studied. Secondary sources analyze or interpret historical events or creative works.
Primary sources
A primary source is an original document containing firsthand information about a topic. Different fields of study may use different types of primary sources.
Secondary sources
A secondary source contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. The most important feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources.
Tertiary sources
A tertiary source presents summaries or condensed versions of materials, usually with references back to the primary and/or secondary sources. They can be a good place to look up facts or get a general overview of a subject, but they rarely contain original material.
Examples
| Subject | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art | Painting | Critical review of the painting | Encyclopedia article on the artist |
| History | Civil War diary | Book on a Civil War Battle | List of battle sites |
| Literature | Novel or poem | Essay about themes in the work | Biography of the author |
| Political science | Geneva Convention | Article about prisoners of war | Chronology of treaties |
Adapted from lib.vt.edu
In the sciences, primary sources are documents written by the person(s) who conducted the original research. For example, a primary source would be a research article where scientists describe their methodology, results, and conclusions about the genetics of tobacco plants. A secondary source would be an article commenting or analyzing the scientists' research on tobacco.
Primary sources
These sources are where the results of original research are usually first published in the sciences. This makes them the best source of information on cutting edge topics. However the new ideas presented may not be fully refined or validated yet.
Secondary sources
These sources tend to summarize the existing state of knowledge in a field at the time of publication. Secondary sources are useful places to learn about your topic in depth. They are useful places to find comparisons of different ideas and theories and to see how they may have changed over time.
Tertiary sources
These types of sources present condensed material, generally with references back to the primary and/or secondary literature. They can be a good place to look up data or to get an overview of a subject, but they rarely contain original material.
Examples
| Subjects | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | Primary Research article paper on dairy microbiology | Review article on the current state of dairy microbiology | Encyclopedia article on dairy microbiology |
| Chemistry | Chemical patent | Book about organic chemical reactions | Handbook of related organic reactions |
| Physics | Conference proceeding on high energy physics | A book about the current state of the field of high energy physics | Dictionary of high energy physics |
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