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Primary Secondary & Tertiary Sources of Information

Primary sources are first-hand accounts of events or information, such as letters, diaries, photographs, and research studies. Secondary sources interpret and analyze primary sources, such as scholarly journals and textbooks. Tertiary sources provide an overview or summary of information from multiple sources, such as encyclopedias and Wikipedia. Tertiary sources should be avoided in formal research papers due to weakening the use of logic and undermining credibility.

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Geraldine Matias
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312 views6 pages

Primary Secondary & Tertiary Sources of Information

Primary sources are first-hand accounts of events or information, such as letters, diaries, photographs, and research studies. Secondary sources interpret and analyze primary sources, such as scholarly journals and textbooks. Tertiary sources provide an overview or summary of information from multiple sources, such as encyclopedias and Wikipedia. Tertiary sources should be avoided in formal research papers due to weakening the use of logic and undermining credibility.

Uploaded by

Geraldine Matias
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PRIMARY

SECONDARY &
TERTIARY
SOURCES OF
INFORMATION
Definitions:
Primary Source: It is a first-hand authoritative account of an event, topic or
historical event. Anything that contains the original information.

Secondary Source: is a second-hand account that interprets, analyzes, critiques


and comes to a conclusion from evaluating primary sources.

Tertiary Source: is information that is compiled from multiple other sources. Its
intended purpose is to re-package existing information to provide an overview on
a topic.

*Which type of source do you have to avoid using in a formal research paper
scenario? (because it weakens your use of logos and definitely undermines your
ethos)
Examples of Primary Sources
Some examples of original, first-hand, authoritative
accounts include:
■Letters, diaries, journals, autobiographies or memoirs
(Personal thoughts)
■Original photographs
■First-hand, eye-witness news reports
■Speeches, interviews
■Creative works like plays, paintings and songs
■First-hand research studies and surveys
■Laws, legal documents, etc.
Examples of Secondary Sources
Some examples of works that interpret or critique primary sources
include:
■Scholarly research journals written by an expert
■Some news articles
■Most textbooks
■Essays or reviews
■Criticisms or commentaries

HINT: A secondary source will cite the primary sources (the


original work) from which they got it.
Examples of Tertiary Sources
Some examples of sources that provide an overview,
summary or collection of information on a topic include:
■Some “news” articles
■Almanacs
■Bibliographies or abstracts
■Wikipedia pages
■Encyclopedias
■Any Overview Websites: Pro/Con, About, etc.

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