Skip to main content
It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Sources
Primary Sources:
- original research
- usually 1st appearance of results
- research conducted BY authors of paper
Examples:
- Proceedings of meetings, conferences and symposia
- Technical reports
- Dissertations or theses
- Patents
- Newspaper articles
- Data sets, such as census statistics
- Listservs, newsgroups, and email
- Scientific journal articles reporting experimental research results
|
Secondary Sources:
- describe, interpret, analyse, evaluate, comment on, and discuss primary sources
- repackage and reorganize information
Examples:
- Dissertations or theses (may also be primary)
- Databases
- Books (may also be primary)
- Newspaper articles (may also be primary)
- Review articles
- Magazine articles
|
Tertiary Sources:
- compile, analyse and condense secondary sources into a convenient, easy-to-read form
- tend to be factual
Examples:
- Dictionaries and encyclopedias
- Databases (may also be secondary)
- Textbooks
- Course specific webpages
|
Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Sources