When evaluating the quality of the information you are using, it is useful to identify if you are using a Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary source. By doing so, you will be able recognize if the author is reporting on his/her own first hand experiences, or relying on the views of others.
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Primary A primary source is a first person account by someone who experienced or witnessed an event. This original document has not been previously published or interpreted by anyone else. |
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Secondary A secondary source is one step removed from the primary original source. The author is reexamining, interpreting and forming conclusions based on the information that is conveyed in the primary source.
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Tertiary A tertiary source is further removed from primary source. It leads the researcher to a secondary source, rather than to the primary source. |
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Primary: Eyewitness account of an event - unedited and direct from the source.
Secondary: News article reporting eyewitness testimony. Testimony has been edited or paraphrased by the journalist.
Examples:
Primary: Impromptu speech given by Robert F. Kennedy on April 5, 1968 announcing the death of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Secondary: Article in the New Republic magazine reporting on the event with commentary on Kennedy's speech.
Primary: FBI records of their investigations into Abbie Hoffman as a domestic security threat.
Secondary: A biography about Abbie Hoffman, such as Abbie Hoffman, American Rebel by Marty Jezer.
