This is the Australian National University Library and this video will explain the difference between primary, secondary and tertiary sources. Most research uses primary, secondary and tertiary sources. They complement each other and help to build a convincing argument.
Primary sources are typically considered more credible in terms of evidence but secondary and tertiary sources show how your work relates to existing research. Let's break down the differences starting with primary sources. This is ground level, first-hand evidence for any discipline.
Marie Curie's lab notebook is an excellent example of a primary source. But it literally cannot be handled as it is still massively radioactive. Sources that provide a first-hand account of an event or a time period are typically primary.
In science this is often the first time an experiment is conducted but primary sources don't have to be scientific. In history, this can be a journal from a soldier in the first world war. Primary source material can also represent original thinking reports on discoveries and events or they may share new information.
And finally they are considered to be authoritative, for the most part. I’ll get to that in a minute. The next is secondary sources.
This is any material created using primary sources. Secondary source materials provide analysis, interpretation or a restatement of primary sources. Newspaper articles and some textbooks are examples of secondary sources.
While primary sources are considered authoritative, secondary sources are considered to be persuasive. Unfortunately what constitutes a primary or a secondary source is not absolute. It depends on the information it contains, how you are going to use it and the discipline you are studying.
We will talk about this more in a minute. Finally tertiary sources. These are similar to secondary sources in that they include both primary and secondary sources but the difference is that they do not present any new information, nor do they offer an analysis of information sources.
Examples of tertiary source material could include some textbooks, abstracts and most reference works like dictionaries, bibliographies and encyclopedias. Even, shock horror, Wikipedia. Now primary, secondary and tertiary sources can look different depending on your discipline.
In arts and social sciences, a primary source could be a painting by indigenous Australian artist, Rover Thomas. a secondary source could be a book about Rover Thomas and his work. A tertiary source could be an encyclopedia entry about either Rover Thomas or referencing the book written about him.
In science a primary source could be the 2012 paper 'Supernovae, the Accelerating Cosmos, and Dark Energy' by Brian Schmidt and Thierry Montmerle A secondary source could be an article discussing this research while a tertiary source could consist of an abstract that describes the paper's findings, but provides no additional analysis. Tertiary sources do not analyse the sources to create new information and that is a key difference. Then there is the difficult question: can a source be more than one type?
The answer is yes, but annoyingly this can be different depending on your individual context. Consider a speech or even a tweet by a prominent political figure. You could consider this a secondary source, right?
Yes, it is persuasive and let's be honest not always brimming with facts but the speech itself happened as a moment in history making it a primary source in that context. So yes, a source can be primary in one context and secondary in another or a source can be both secondary and tertiary. But should you quote the Prime Minister's tweet as scientific fact?
Probably best not to. It can be used as a primary source in politics, history or advertising depending on how it is framed. Here are three examples of those grey areas where a source can be different depending on the context.
Documentaries. When you are researching the causes of World War two, a recent documentary about the war is considered a secondary source. But if you are researching the filmmaking techniques used in historical documentaries, then the documentary itself is a primary source.
Reviews and essays. If your paper is about the novels of Anita Heiss a magazine review of one of her novels is a secondary source. but if your paper is about the critical reception of Anita Heiss's work, then the review is actually a primary source itself.
Then there are newspaper articles. If your aim is to analyse a government's economic policy, a newspaper article about a new policy is a secondary source but if your aim is to analyse media coverage of economic issues, the newspaper article is a primary source. So remember whether you directly quote, paraphrase, or synthesise a primary, secondary or tertiary source, make sure you cite it to avoid plagiarism.
If you're still in doubt, it's always best to check with your lecturer or supervisor And don't forget the ANU Library is here to help We have an amazing collection of online materials and loads of guides available to support you Just click the subscribe button so you never miss a video Having trouble or need some specific assistance?
