Find Primary and Secondary Sources

Secondary sources interpret primary sources.  They are at least one step removed from the original event, account or phenomenon studied.  They interpret, assign values and/or draw conclusions about an event.  Secondary sources are usually in the form of published works. 

Examples of secondary sources are:

• Books
• Newspaper articles (These may be considered a primary source when they are factual and are describing an original event.  For example, a newspaper reporter might witness a fire and report on the fire the day after it happens.)
• Magazine articles
• Journal articles
• Radio or television documentaries (These may contain portions of primary documents.  For example, a documentary on Martin Luther King, Jr. may contain original footage of his “I Have a Dream” speech)

Still not sure how to tell one from the other?  Ask yourself these questions:

• How does the author know these details (names, dates, and times)?  Was the author present at the event or soon at the scene?
• Where does this information come from – personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports written by others?
• Are the author's conclusions based on a single piece of evidence, or have many sources been taken into account e.g. diaries, along with third party eyewitness accounts, impressions of contemporaries, newspaper accounts?

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