Primary vs. Secondary Sources*
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What's the Difference?
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Often you may want to locate
the original source of information or get as close to it as
possible.
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Primary sources...
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Secondary sources... |
- are uninterpreted
sources of information.
- allow you to examine
evidence firsthand without being affected by other
intermediary opinions.
- allow you to draw comparisons between
your assessments and the conclusions of others.
- may be scattered and
disorganized.
- are sometimes described
by their formats (e.g., letters and diaries as opposed to
books).
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- interpret the “primary”
literature, or guide readers to the primary material.
- make information more
accessible by repackaging it in a more accessible form
- are far removed from
the original event.
- are sometimes described
by their formats (e.g., books, journals, textbooks,
anthologies, etc.)
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Primary and secondary sources
can also be distinguished by how they relate to the original event
that’s relayed. The further removed in time the source is from the
event, the more likely it is to be a secondary source.
See
Records Along the Time Line
to better understand the types of
sources that constitute primary versus secondary sources. For
further descriptions of primary resources, see:
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An excellent example
of Primary Source Information is government publications (laws,
reports, etc.) often found online.
*from
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/instruction/infolit/andyou/mod3/privssec.htm
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