Published on June 20, 2018 by Raimo Streefkerk. Revised on November 4, 2022. When you do research, you have to gather information and evidence from a variety of sources. Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. A primary source gives you direct access to the subject of your research. Secondary
sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews, and academic books. A secondary source describes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources. Primary sources are more
credible as evidence, but good research uses both primary and secondary sources. A primary source is anything that gives you direct evidence about the people, events, or phenomena that you are researching. Primary sources will usually be the main objects of your analysis. If you are researching the
past, you cannot directly access it yourself, so you need primary sources that were produced at the time by participants or witnesses (e.g. letters, photographs, newspapers). If you are researching something current, your primary sources can either be
qualitative or quantitative data that you collect yourself (e.g. through interviews, surveys,
experiments) or sources produced by people directly involved in the topic (e.g. official documents or media texts). A secondary source is anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information from primary sources. Common examples include: When you cite a secondary source, it’s usually not to analyze it directly. Instead, you’ll probably test its arguments against new evidence or use its ideas to help formulate your own. The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:
Learn more Primary and secondary source examplesPrimary and secondary source examples
Examples of sources that can be primary or secondaryA secondary source can become a primary source depending on your research question. If the person, context, or technique that produced the source is the main focus of your research, it becomes a primary source. Documentaries If you are researching the causes of World War II, a recent documentary about the war is a secondary source. But if you are researching the filmmaking techniques used in historical documentaries, the documentary is a primary source. Reviews and essays If your paper is about the novels of Toni Morrison, a magazine review of one of her novels is a secondary source. But if your paper is about the critical reception of Toni Morrison’s work, the review is a primary source. Newspaper articles If your aim is to analyze the government’s economic policy, a newspaper article about a new policy is a secondary source. But if your aim is to analyze media coverage of economic issues, the newspaper article is a primary source. How to tell if a source is primary or secondaryTo determine if something can be used as a primary or secondary source in your research, there are some simple questions you can ask yourself:
Primary vs secondary sources: which is better?Most research uses both primary and secondary sources. They complement each other to help you build a convincing argument. Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but secondary sources show how your work relates to existing research. Tertiary sources are often used in the first, exploratory stage of research. What do you use primary sources for?Primary sources are the foundation of original research. They allow you to:
If you don’t use any primary sources, your research may be considered unoriginal or unreliable. What do you use secondary sources for?Secondary sources are good for gaining a full overview of your topic and understanding how other researchers have approached it. They often synthesize a large number of primary sources that would be difficult and time-consuming to gather by yourself. They allow you to:
When you conduct a literature review or meta analysis, you can consult secondary sources to gain a thorough overview of your topic. If you want to mention a paper or study that you find cited in a secondary source, seek out the original source and cite it directly. Remember that all primary and secondary sources must be cited to avoid plagiarism. You can use Scribbr’s free citation generator to do so! Frequently asked questions about primary and secondary sourcesHow can you tell if a source is primary or secondary? To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself:
Some types of source are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. letters, interviews). If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source. Primary sources are often considered the most credible in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching. However, it’s up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate. Always make sure to properly cite your sources to avoid plagiarism. Is a movie a primary or secondary source? A fictional movie is usually a primary source. A documentary can be either primary or secondary depending on the context. If you are directly analyzing some aspect of the movie itself – for example, the cinematography, narrative techniques, or social context – the movie is a primary source. If you use the movie for background information or analysis about your topic – for example, to learn about a historical event or a scientific discovery – the movie is a secondary source. Whether it’s primary or secondary, always properly cite the movie in the citation style you are using. Learn how to create an MLA movie citation or an APA movie citation. Is a newspaper article a primary or secondary source? Articles in newspapers and magazines can be primary or secondary depending on the focus of your research. In historical studies, old articles are used as primary sources that give direct evidence about the time period. In social and communication studies, articles are used as primary sources to analyze language and social relations (for example, by conducting content analysis or discourse analysis). If you are not analyzing the article itself, but only using it for background information or facts about your topic, then the article is a secondary source. Cite this Scribbr articleIf you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Is this article helpful?You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote... What is a primary source for studying a work of art?What is a Primary Source. An actual work of art, whether a painting or a building, is a primary source. A primary source is "first-hand" information, sources as close as possible to the origin of the information or idea under study.
Is a general term for art devoted to representing subjective emotions and experiences instead of objective or external reality or showing what could be felt but not seen?Expressionism, artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse within a person.
When an artist uses scale to indicate the relative importance of elements in a composition he or she is employing what kind of scale?Scale can refer to any relationship of parts to the whole, but one particular type is of great significance in many periods: Hieratic scale is scale based on relative importance. That is, the more important a figure, the larger he or she is in relation to the figures around him or her.
What is the process called in oil painting where the artist paints the canvas in a base often monochrome color as a first step in creating areas of lights and darks called?Underpainting – the initial stage or first layer of an oil painting commonly executed using a monochrome or dead colour as a base for the composition.
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