How Do You Know if a Research Article Is a Primary Source or Secondary Source
Master vs Secondary Sources | Explained with Piece of cake Examples
When you do research, you have to get together information and evidence from a diverseness of sources.
Main sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. A primary source gives yous direct access to the subject of your inquiry.
Secondary sources provide 2nd-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal manufactures, reviews, and bookish books. A secondary source describes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources.
Principal sources are more than apparent as evidence, simply good research uses both primary and secondary sources.
What is a master source?
A primary source is anything that gives you directly prove about the people, events, or phenomena that you are researching. Chief sources will usually be the primary objects of your assay.
If you lot are researching the past, you cannot directly access information technology yourself, so you need chief sources that were produced at the time by participants or witnesses (e.g. messages, photographs, newspapers).
If y'all are researching something current, your primary sources can either be qualitative or quantitative data that you collect yourself (e.g. through interviews, surveys, experiments) or sources produced by people directly involved in the topic (eastward.m. official documents or media texts).
| Research field | Primary source |
|---|---|
| History |
|
| Art and literature |
|
| Advice and social studies |
|
| Law and politics |
|
| Sciences |
|
What is a secondary source?
A secondary source is anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes data from chief sources. Common examples include:
- Books, articles and documentaries that synthesize data on a topic
- Synopses and descriptions of artistic works
- Encyclopedias and textbooks that summarize information and ideas
- Reviews and essays that evaluate or translate something
When you cite a secondary source, it's usually not to analyze it directly. Instead, you'll probably test its arguments against new evidence or use its ideas to help formulate your ain.
Scribbr Citation CheckerNew
The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid mutual mistakes such as:
- Missing commas and periods
- Incorrect usage of "et al."
- Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
- Missing reference entries
Larn more
Primary and secondary source examples
| Primary source | Secondary source |
|---|---|
| Novel | Article analyzing the novel |
| Painting | Exhibition catalog explaining the painting |
| Letters and diaries written by a historical figure | Biography of the historical figure |
| Essay by a philosopher | Textbook summarizing the philosopher's ideas |
| Photographs of a historical event | Documentary well-nigh the historical event |
| Government documents nearly a new policy | Newspaper article about the new policy |
| Music recordings | Academic book about the musical manner |
| Results of an opinion poll | Weblog mail service interpreting the results of the poll |
| Empirical report | Literature review that cites the study |
Examples of sources that can exist primary or secondary
A secondary source can become a primary source depending on your inquiry question. If the person, context, or technique that produced the source is the primary focus of your enquiry, it becomes a chief source.
Documentaries
If you are researching the causes of World War 2, a recent documentary near the war is a secondary source. But if yous are researching the filmmaking techniques used in historical documentaries, the documentary is a primary source.
Reviews and essays
If your paper is about the novels of Toni Morrison, a mag review of one of her novels is a secondary source. But if your paper is about the critical reception of Toni Morrison's work, the review is a primary source.
Newspaper articles
If your aim is to analyze the government'due south economical policy, a newspaper commodity nigh a new policy is a secondary source. But if your aim is to clarify media coverage of economical issues, the paper commodity is a primary source.
How to tell if a source is main or secondary
To determine if something can be used equally a principal or secondary source in your enquiry, in that location are some elementary questions you tin can enquire yourself:
- Does this source come from someone straight involved in the events I'm studying (master) or from another researcher (secondary)?
- Am I interested in analyzing the source itself (master) or only using it for background data (secondary)?
- Does the source provide original data (primary) or does it comment upon information from other sources (secondary)?
Primary vs secondary sources: which is better?
About enquiry uses both chief and secondary sources. They complement each other to aid you lot build a convincing argument. Primary sources are more credible equally evidence, but secondary sources show how your work relates to existing inquiry.
What do you lot apply primary sources for?
Primary sources are the foundation of original research. They allow you to:
- Make new discoveries
- Provide credible evidence for your arguments
- Give administrative information nearly your topic
If you don't use any primary sources, your research may exist considered unoriginal or unreliable.
What do you utilise secondary sources for?
Secondary sources are proficient for gaining a full overview of your topic and understanding how other researchers accept approached it. They oftentimes synthesize a big number of chief sources that would be hard and time-consuming to get together by yourself. They allow you to:
- Gain background information on the topic
- Support or dissimilarity your arguments with other researchers' ideas
- Get together data from primary sources that you tin can't access directly (due east.g. private messages or physical documents located elsewhere)
When you conduct a literature review, y'all can consult secondary sources to gain a thorough overview of your topic. If you lot want to mention a newspaper or study that you find cited in a secondary source, seek out the original source and cite information technology directly.
Remember that all primary and secondary sources must be correctly cited to avoid plagiarism.
Frequently asked questions well-nigh chief and secondary sources
- How tin can you tell if a source is primary or secondary?
-
To determine if a source is main or secondary, enquire yourself:
- Was the source created past someone direct involved in the events you're studying (primary), or by another researcher (secondary)?
- Does the source provide original data (primary), or does it summarize information from other sources (secondary)?
- Are you lot directly analyzing the source itself (primary), or but using information technology for background information (secondary)?
Some types of source are nigh always main: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.yard. messages, interviews). If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source.
Primary sources are frequently considered the well-nigh credible in terms of providing testify for your statement, every bit they give you straight show of what you are researching. Nevertheless, it'south up to yous to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate.
Always make sure to properly cite your sources to avert plagiarism.
- Is a motion-picture show a primary or secondary source?
-
A fictional pic is usually a primary source. A documentary tin can be either primary or secondary depending on the context.
If y'all are directly analyzing some attribute of the movie itself – for instance, the cinematography, narrative techniques, or social context – the movie is a primary source.
If you use the movie for background data or analysis about your topic – for example, to learn about a historical event or a scientific discovery – the movie is a secondary source.
Whether it'southward chief or secondary, always properly cite the picture show in the commendation style you are using. Acquire how to create an MLA movie citation or an APA movie citation.
- Is a newspaper commodity a primary or secondary source?
-
Manufactures in newspapers and magazines can be principal or secondary depending on the focus of your research.
In historical studies, onetime articles are used as chief sources that requite directly evidence nigh the time menstruation. In social and communication studies, articles are used as primary sources to analyze language and social relations (for example, by conducting content analysis or soapbox analysis).
If you lot are not analyzing the commodity itself, simply only using it for groundwork information or facts about your topic, then the article is a secondary source.
Is this article helpful?
You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote...
Source: https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/primary-and-secondary-sources/#:~:text=A%20primary%20source%20gives%20you,interprets%2C%20or%20synthesizes%20primary%20sources.
0 Response to "How Do You Know if a Research Article Is a Primary Source or Secondary Source"
Post a Comment