

S ources that contain raw, original, non interpreted and unevaluated information. (Source: VirginaTech Library under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Review article on the current state of tobacco research They can be a good place to look up data or to get an overview of a subject, but they rarely contain original material. These types of sources present condensed material, generally with references back to the primary and/or secondary literature. Secondary sources are good to find comparisons of different ideas and theories and to see how they may have changed over time. These tend to summarize the existing state of knowledge in a field at the time of publication. However the new ideas presented may not be fully refined or validated yet. This makes them the best source of information on cutting edge topics.

These are where the results of original research are usually first published in the sciences. A secondary source would be an article commenting or analyzing the scientists' research on tobacco.

For example, a primary source would be a journal article where scientists describe their research on the genetics of tobacco plants.
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In the sciences, primary sources are documents that provide full description of the original research. (Adapted from: VirginaTech Library under CCBY 4.0 ) They can be a good place to look up facts or get a general overview of a subject, but they rarely contain original material. The most important feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources.Ī tertiary source presents summaries or condensed versions of materials, usually with references back to the primary and/or secondary sources. Different fields of study may use different types of primary sources.Ī secondary source contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies (used to locate a secondary source)Ī primary source is an original document containing firsthand information about a topic.Secondary sources analyze or interpret historical events or creative works. A primary source is a work that was created or written contemporary with the period or subject being studied. In the humanities and social sciences, primary sources are the direct evidence or first-hand accounts of events without secondary analysis or interpretation. (Adapted from: VirginaTech Library under CCBY 4.0 ) While these definitions are clear, the lines begin to blur in the different discipline areas. Encyclopedias are typically considered tertiary sources, but a study of how encyclopedias have changed on the Internet would use them as primary sources. An individual document may be a primary source in one context and a secondary source in another. The distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources can be ambiguous. Tertiary resources often provide data in a convenient form or provide information with context by which to interpret it. Tertiary sources provide overviews of topics by synthesizing information gathered from other resources. Moreover, secondary sources often rely on other secondary sources and standard disciplinary methods to reach results, and they provide the principle sources of analysis about primary sources. Even sources presenting facts or descriptions about events are secondary unless they are based on direct participation or observation. Secondary sources analyze, review, or summarize information in primary resources or other secondary resources. Such sources may include creative works, first hand or contemporary accounts of events, and the publication of the results of empirical observations or research. Primary sources allow researchers to get as close as possible to original ideas, events, and empirical research as possible. A primary source is a first hand testimony, document, speech or other evidence that gives insight into a particular person or an event. They are often created during the time period which is being studied but can also be produced later by eyewitnesses or participants.
