Source Types
1. Primary Sources
| Criteria | Use Primary Sources To Help You… |
|---|---|
| Understand | Gain a contemporary understanding of a subject |
| Interpret | Interpret information YOURSELF (Note: some primary sources can be difficult to understand) |
| Write | Write an essay that requires you to express your original understanding of a subject |
| Discipline | Examples of Primary Sources |
|---|---|
| Art and Architecture | Painting by Manet |
| Chemistry / Life Sciences | Einstein’s Diary |
| Engineering / Physical Sciences | Patent |
| Humanities | Letters by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| Social Sciences | Notes taken by clinical psychologist |
| Performing Arts | Movie Filmed in 1942 |
2. Secondary Sources
| Criteria | Use Secondary Sources To Help You… |
|---|---|
| Understand | Get background information about or a synopsis of a subject |
| Interpret | Get help from scholars who might be more specialized in a subject (Note: be aware of possible source bias) |
| Write | Write an essay that requires you to report on what others have said about a subject (and perhaps defend YOUR informed opinion) |
| Discipline | Examples of Secondary Sources |
|---|---|
| Art and Architecture | Article critiquing art piece |
| Chemistry / Life Sciences | Monograph on Einstein’s life |
| Engineering / Physical Sciences | NTIS database |
| Humanities | Web site on King’s writings |
| Social Sciences | Magazine article about the psychological condition |
| Performing Arts | Biography of the director |
3. Tertiary Sources
| Criteria | Use Tertiary Sources To Help You… |
|---|---|
| Understand | Get an overview or summary of a topic. These sources are not usually credited to a particular author. |
| Interpret | These source types are often comprised of both primary and secondary sources, and require less interpretive skills since their main purpose is to index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources. |
| Write | Examples of tertiary sources include encyclopedias, textbooks, and dictionaries. This means you’ll use the information to build foundational knowledge of a topic before finding more academic sources. You will not typically use the information in your writing, but simply to provide clarification on a topic with which you are unfamiliar before diving into more academic sources. |
| Discipline | Examples of Tertiary Sources |
|---|---|
| Art and Architecture | ArtStor database |
| Chemistry / Life Sciences | Dictionary on Theory of Relativity |
| Engineering / Physical Sciences | User’s Manual |
| Humanities | Encylopedia on Civil Rights Movement |
| Social Sciences | Textbook on clinical psychology |
| Performing Arts | Guide to the movie |
Source Attribution
- Teaching and Learning Services. “Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources.” University of Maryland Libraries. Last modified February 3, 2014. Accessed November 20, 2015. https://libguides.cfcc.edu/c.php?g=321358&p=2151029
- Special thanks to Susan Trower, who provided permission to reuse some of the content on their Primary, Secondary, Tertiary – What’s the Difference? guide: https://libguides.westsoundacademy.org/noodletools/what_is_the_difference
- Additional content found on this page was adapted from:
muell813. (2015, July 15). Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. University of Minnesota Crookston https://www.crk.umn.edu/library/primary-secondary-and-tertiary-sources
Additional Notes
- Most researchers will benefit from using a combination of primary, secondary and tertiary sources
- Some materials share features of BOTH primary and secondary sources
-Ex. The Norton Critical Edition of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville contains an original novel (primary sources) and scholarly essays about that novel (secondary sources)
- Some materials could be considered primary OR secondary, depending upon the research focus
-Ex. The article “After 9/11: Goal Disruption, Emotional Support, and Psychological Health in a Lower Exposure Sample,” by MacGeorge et al., a scholarly research study published in 2007-Secondary source for a history paper on the significance of 9/11)-Primary source for a medical paper on post-traumatic stress reactions to acts of terrorism