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.
| Source Type | Examples |
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
Tertiary A tertiary source is further removed from primary source. It leads the researcher to a secondary source, rather than to the primary source. |
|
Here are some examples of Primary and Secondary for comparison
Secondary: N Y Times article using selection of crime statistics from the Department of Justice
Primary: Crime Statistics from the Department of Justice database. (Note the stats below are from 2012 and do not correspond to the figures above)
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.
A dicussion of the difference between primary and seconday sources. From Hartness Library CCV/Vermont Tech.
Video from the folks in the Kimbel Library at Coastal Carolina University explaining the difference between Popular and Scholarly sources.
