From the course: Information Literacy
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Primary vs. secondary sources
From the course: Information Literacy
Primary vs. secondary sources
- Another way that you can evaluate a resource is based on whether or not the information is from a Primary Source or a Secondary Source. The difference is fairly straightforward, but the distinctions are sometimes overlooked in the research process. A Primary Source is a firsthand account. Examples of a Primary Source can be a Diary, a Letter, or a Description of an event by someone who experienced it. Also, a study or a research paper that was composed by the original researcher is a Primary Source. A Secondary Source, as you might guess, is information reported by someone else, second hand. Maybe it's a news article reporting on a study or an event, it could be a Book written about surrealism. Whatever form it takes, really, it's an outside perspective of a topic or an event, that might offer some interpretation or analysis. In the Book world, a Primary Source might be a Memoir or an Autobiography, since it was written by the person, therefore, primary. A Secondary Source might be…
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