A secondary source is a reference that quotes or paraphrases ideas and information from another source. Secondary sources provide secondhand information and commentary from other researchers. This friends short essay is now a secondary source. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. Examples of primary resources include scholarly research articles, books, and diaries. For a historical research project, secondary sources are generally scholarly books and articles. If you have recently published an article, book chapter, or book on susan glaspells work, and do not see it included here, contact the susan glaspell society webmaster, martha carpentier. The distinction may depend on how you are using the source and the nature of your research. Review articles summarize research on a particular topic, but they do not present any new. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Primary vs secondary sources explained with easy examples. How the researcher engages with a source ultimately determines if it is primary or secondary. However, the reference list needs to include only the. A secondary source is a document or recording that writes or speaks about information that is one step removed from the original source the secondary source depends on the primary source or original source of the information.
Secondary sources american psychological association. Jstor offers fulltext of complete runs up to about 5 years ago of over 400 journals. In the text of your paper, you should mention the original source in the sentence, followed by a parenthetical citation with the secondary sources information. Sources of information are often categorized as primary or secondary depending. Apr 29, 2020 use secondary sources to obtain an overview of a topic andor identify primary resources. Secondary sources are works that analyze, assess or interpret an historical event, era, or phenomenon, generally utilizing primary sources to do so. You can use the cited reference search in the web of science to find primary source articles that cite a specified article, thus getting an idea of its reception. Primary sources can be original documents such as letters, speeches, diaries, creative works such as art, novels, music and film, published materials of the times newspapers, magazines, memoirs, etc.
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. In the text of your paper, you should mention the original source in the sentence, followed by a parenthetical citation with the secondary source s information. For secondary sources, often the best sources are those that have been published most recently. For example, an autobiography is a primary source while a biography is a secondary source. Many secondary sources use extensive citations in the form of footnotes or endnotes.
Secondary sources sometimes an author writes about research that someone else has done, but you are unable to track down the original research report. A news article may be treated as a primary source e. Oct 05, 2010 a primary source is a book, tool,weapon, wrting, scripts from the past time period. A secondary source is anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information from primary sources. Another type of secondary source is a scholarly journal article. Egan published an original theory in 2006 and geldard and geldard used that theory in their publication in 2007. These sources offer an analysis or restatement of primary sources. Jan 24, 2019 a primary source is an original material created during the time under study. In the reference list, provide an entry for the secondary source that you used. A secondary source describes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources. Apr 27, 2020 if possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source american psychological association apa, 2020, p. Secondary sources the international susan glaspell society.
A secondary source is any source about an event, period, or issue in history that was produced after that event, period or issue has passed. Secondary sources are interpretations and analyses based on primary sources. The main use of secondary sources in law is to explain the law. In historiography, a secondary source is a study written by a scholar about a topic. Secondary sources mla 8 citation guide research guides. Secondary sources interpret, evaluate or discuss information found in primary sources. Secondary sources address or analyze events, people, works, or topics after the fact, unlike primary sources which provide firsthand accounts. For example, if allports work is cited in nicholson and you did not. Oct 21, 2019 a secondary source is a quote or citation from an author who has appeared in another authors work. Secondary source a document or other record of past events created by someone who was not present during the events or the time period in which they occurred a classmate giving a. How to find secondary sources for a research project about a. This source consists of journals, articles, histories, encyclopedias and books. Books as primary and secondary sources hist 230 colonial.
Sometimes the original work is unavailable through usual sources or not available in english. Whether something is a primary or secondary source often depends upon the topic and its use. How do you cite a source that you found in another source. This chart shows the distinction between primary and secondary sources. If possible try to locate the original source of information cited in the a work. In a long article or book, the thesis is usually diffuse. Example of a quote by one author used in the text of another book, within the text. The life of lady mary wortley montagu by robert halsband, star trek.
A secondary source, then, is a source that has also done analysis of the same or a similar topic. Secondary sources reference in apa 6th acap library at. Jul 18, 2019 for example, an autobiography is a primary source while a biography is a secondary source. Primary and secondary sources research 101 libguides. If the article is written by a student author, the designation of the piece see r. This is an uptodate bibliography of literary criticism and scholarly research on the work of susan glaspell. Jun 20, 2018 secondary sources provide secondhand information and commentary from other researchers. The authors of secondary sources develop their interpretations and narratives of events based on primary sources, that is, documents and other evidence created by participants or eyewitnesses. Use secondary sources to obtain an overview of a topic andor identify primary resources. In this case, because you did not read the original report, you will include only the source you did consult in your references.
A secondary source is a quote or citation from an author who has appeared in another authors work. A secondary source may include more information about more aspects of the event than did a primary source. Secondary sources were created by someone who did not experience firsthand or participate in the events or conditions youre researching. How to read a secondary source history college of liberal. Aside from a textbook, the most commonly assigned secondary source is a scholarly monograph a volume on a specific subject in the past, written by an expert. Apr 12, 2019 how the researcher engages with a source ultimately determines if it is primary or secondary. Secondary source a document or other record of past events created by someone who was not present during the events or the time period in which they occurred a classmate giving a report about hurricane sandy. If you are researching abraham lincoln, the book would be a secondary source because wills is offering his opinions about lincoln and. In library and information sciences, secondary sources are generally regarded. How to find secondary sources for a research project about. If the year of publication of the primary source is known, also include it in the text citation. In a wellwritten essay, the thesis is usually clearly stated near the beginning of the piece. Library guide to the history of science your guide to the history of science at harvard.
Refrain from including such resources in an annotated bibliography for doctoral level work unless there is a good reason. In history, a book is only a primary source if it was written by someone who was there when the event occured. Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources university of. They are typically written by scholars and incorporate primary source documentation in order to analyze and interpret past events. They can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis.
You can find primary and secondary sources published in book form. For example, the book university of illinois, 18941904. You are still unsure of what exactly happened in class one friend says one thing, another contradicts what the first one said, so you conduct more interviews and get more interpretations from other classmates. Find secondary sources undergraduate library u of i library. A biology textbook would be considered a secondary source if in the field of biology, since it describes and interprets the science but makes no original contribution to it. Scholars generally use the term secondary source to refer to books, sections of edited books, journal articles, encylopedia and dictionary entries, newspaper and magazine reports and so on. You wont find a complete biography of nelson mandela in a scholarly journal article, but rather an analysis of a specific part of his life or work. Secondary sources involve analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary sources. The original short story or book that you are researching is a primary source in this case, and the secondary sources that you are searching for will interpret or criticize various aspects of the work, like character development, plot, themes, etc. Primary and secondary resources research process libguides. A secondary source is a mediary between you and the primary source. How to cite secondary sources in apa format pen and the pad. You will then use this source to discuss how it relates to your argument about the primary source.
These are much shorter than books, but also much more specific. Scholarly journals, although generally considered to be secondary sources, often contain articles on very specific subjects and may be the primary source of information on new developments. Apr 10, 2020 secondary sources sometimes an author writes about research that someone else has done, but you are unable to track down the original research report. Secondary sources were created by someone who did not experience. May 01, 2020 whether something is a primary or secondary source often depends upon the topic and its use. Generally speaking, secondary sources are written well after the events that are being. Apr 15, 2020 garry wills book about lincolns gettysburg address, for example, can looked at as both a secondary and a primary source. Aug 27, 2018 a secondary source may include more information about more aspects of the event than did a primary source. Garry wills book about lincolns gettysburg address, for example, can looked at as both a secondary and a primary source. To learn more about primary sources, see our primary sources page. Sep 03, 2019 they are typically written by scholars and incorporate primary source documentation in order to analyze and interpret past events. Secondary sources are works of synthesis and interpretation based upon primary sources and the work of other authors. Primary sources such as research articles often do not.
Most often though, secondary sources act as a way to keep up with or discuss progress in a field of study, wherein a writer may use anothers observations on a topic to summarize his or her own viewpoints on the matter to progress the. Follow these directions when citing a secondary source. Secondary source simple english wikipedia, the free. A secondary source is generally one or more steps removed from the event or time period and are written or produced after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. If the book merely quotes the proclamation such as reprinting a section in a sidebar or the full text in an appendix, or showing an image of the signature or the official seal on the proclamation with no analysis or commentary, then the book is just a newly printed copy of the primary source, rather than being a secondary source.
You can use the cited reference search in web of science to find secondary source articles that cite a specified secondary or primary source article or book. Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. If possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source american psychological association apa, 2020, p. Secondary sources bluebook citation 101 practitioner. Finding high quality secondary sources web literacy for. Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but good research uses both primary and secondary sources. Aug 10, 2016 interesting question and its very quite complex and thats a reason why a lot of people seem to get it wrong a primary source is a document that came directly from the person or people an event happened to. Lets see if we can get a decent summary from a respected organization that deals with these issues. A primary source is an original material created during the time under study. Apr 17, 2017 a secondary source is a reference that quotes or paraphrases ideas and information from another source. It has more extensive lists of resources and tools than this introductory guide does. In the text, identify the primary source and write as cited in the secondary source that you used. Mar 10, 2020 this friends short essay is now a secondary source.
So, for many topics in history, your best starting point is a good recent scholarly book. The shaping of the university, published in 2000, could be used as a secondary source to learn about the ui around the turn of the twentieth century. Scholarly or other articles about a topic, especially. They tend to be works which summarize, interpret, reorganize, or otherwise provide an added value to a primary source.
They often try to describe or explain primary sources. Often, the most difficult task when reading a secondary source is to identify the authors thesis. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them. Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. A secondary source would be a book on th century politics, while the magna carta itself would be a primary source. Primary and secondary sources research 101 libguides at. Apr 30, 2020 a secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. Use secondary sources sparingly, for instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable through usual sources, or not available in english.