STANDARD ONE
Research is, by its nature, a cyclical process that builds on what has come before. Scholars create primary materials (e.g. a poem, lab data, etc.), and disseminate this information to scholars through professional channels (e.g. journal articles, conferences, etc.). The research is then used to create new knowledge (e.g. new interpretations, new experiments), and the process repeats: what was once a secondary product of research in turn becomes the primary material for new research.
Understanding and participating in this process is an important part of university study, but because the cycle of knowledge creation is the same everywhere, it is also a key to opening the doors to professional work beyond the university.
For example, instructors may ask that you use primary, secondary, or tertiary sources in your research. This lesson describes these terms and provides examples of each.
Note: the lists below provide examples only and are not intended to be inclusive.
Primary sources are original materials or raw data created by an individual, a team, or an organization. They are from the original time period (contemporary to events) and have not been interpreted or evaluated by others.
- First-hand observations or reports
- Letters
- Diaries
- Interviews (legal proceedings, personal, telephone, email)
- Original documents (birth certificates, court transcripts)
- Patents
- Photographs
- Proceedings from conferences, meetings, etc.
- Surveys or polls
- Literary works: poems, plays, novels, non-fiction essays, short stories
- Newspaper accounts
- Weekly or monthly-produced magazines
- Autobiographies
- Films
- Official memos or notes
- Performances (dances, plays)
- Posters
- Sculptures
- Television shows
- Statistics
- U.S. Census records
- Speeches
- Maps
- Dissertations (original scholarship)
- Journal articles that publish original scholarship
- Music
- Models
- Objects
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Secondary sources are those that analyze, interpret, comment on, or discuss primary sources. They are published after the fact of the original event, and tend to be argumentative or to present a specific perspective. Examining the footnotes, references cited, or bibliographies of secondary sources can often help locate primary sources.
- Scholarly periodicals and books that synthesize or analyze results of primary source information
- Encyclopedias (particularly those with signed articles)
- Biographies
- Commentaries
- Dissertations (commentary on other material)
- Journal articles that comment on previous scholarship
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Tertiary Sources are collections or distillations of primary and secondary sources. Tertiary sources tend to be factual in nature.
- Annuals
- Almanacs
- Abstracts
- Digests
- Directories
- Bibliographies
- Guidebooks
- Indexes
- Handbooks, fact books, manuals
- Encyclopedias (especially specialized encyclopedias on a specific subject)
Note: disciplines use and value these sources differently, and some of the sources above could be listed in more than one category. See below for more information.
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|
Primary Source |
Secondary Source |
Tertiary Source |
| English |
Poem |
Scholarly article interpreting poem |
MLA Bibliography |
| History |
Newspaper account |
Book about World War II |
Encyclopedia on World War II |
| Art |
Original photograph |
Scholarly article considering context of photograph |
Directory of U.S. art installations |
| Political Science |
Text of a law |
Essay on effectiveness of law |
Law Encyclopedia |
| Physics |
Original research presented in a journal article |
Scholarly article applying research to problem |
Annual of Physics conference proceedings |
Consider carefully how a source is being used and where it falls on the cycle of knowledge creation. Remember that original scholarship is always considered a primary source, but where that scholarship appears could on its face appear to be a secondary or tertiary source.
For example, a literary scholar could read a journal article on an interpretation of a novel that could inspire her to write a new journal article from a similar perspective on another novel. In this case, what is typically considered a secondary source could be understood a primary source for the later research. Similarly, a new bibliography might provide access to heretofore unavailable materials and could therefore be considered a secondary source for a scholar using that newly available information for the first time, although a bibliography is often considered a tertiary source.
If, within the context of your assignment, you need help determining whether a source is primary, secondary, or tertiary, please ask your instructor or a librarian.
Understanding how to research a topic thoroughly, using a variety of sources, shows proper attention to the research process: it avoids repeating scholarship that has already been done or neglecting scholarship that may conflict with your findings. For this reason, sources must be chosen for their intellectual validity and authority (whether they support or refute your claims) and not randomly or unreflectively. Remember, good research takes time and patience is required to locate appropriate types and quantities of resources.
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