Q. What is the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?

Examples:

• Anne Frank's diary

• Film footage of the assassination of President J. F. Kennedy

• National Security Data Archives

• Newspaper articles written during the period being studied - ProQuest Historical Newspapers

• Declaration of Independence

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(Image from: www.archives.gov)

 

For more in depth information on primary sources and where to find them see our Primary Source Research Guide

II. Secondary Sources - interpret or analyze primary sources.

Examples:

• scholarly journal articles - JSTOR

• Biographies - American National Biography (database)

• Literary criticism analyzing a play, poem, novel, or short story - Literature Resource Center

• Political commentary analyzing an election or politician
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III. Tertiary Sources - provide overviews of a topic and synthesize information from other primary and secondary sources. Examples include: textbooks, encyclopedia articles, and Wikipedia.

Examples: 

• Britannica Academia Edition

• A Companion to 19th Century America

Distinguishing between these three types of sources will vary according to context and situation. For example, if you are analyzing how African American history was depicted in middle school textbooks in the 1980s, then the textbooks would be considered a primary source rather than a tertiary source.