Record Detail:
| Record Detail: |
|
| Last Update: | 2009-09-08 17:10:00.0 |
|---|---|
| Question: | What is a primary/secondary source? |
| Answer: | A primary source is any material where the author presents his or her own research or theory.
Some primary sources include: - Walden by Henry David Thoreau - The US Census - The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud - a research article outlining the methodology and outcomes of the author/authors' research A secondary source is material that analyzes a primary source. For example: - a book about Thoreau's Walden - a newspaper article discussing census statistics - a peer-reviewed article containing a literature review - an encyclopedia article Unfortunately, there is no easy way to determine if a source is primary or secondary other than reading it. Generally speaking, an article abstract will provide enough information to determine if the article is primary or secondary. Be aware that one item may be both a primary and a secondary source. A dissertation is a classic example of this. The dissertation begins with a literature review- a secondary source covering the previous research in this area. However, the dissertation then goes on to present the author's original work- a primary source for the author's new research. For more information about primary and secondary sources see: *Critical Evaluation of Resources from UC Berkeley If you have any more questions, please contact the Library through our Ask a Librarian form. |
| Additional Sources Checked: |
| |||||||||||||||
|