Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary
When we categorize sources as primary, secondary, or tertiary, we are basing this on their proximity to the origin. These categories will change depending on our research topic and discipline. Different source types are used for different purposes.
The important thing to remember is that:
- Primary sources are original materials you interpret or explain.
- Secondary sources are the scholarly conversation you are entering by engaging in academic research and writing.
- Tertiary sources provide valuable background information and source lists.
Primary sources are original materials that you will explain, analyze, or interpret. They haven't been evaluated or interpreted by anyone else. They look different depending on your discipline and topic. In history, primary sources may be journals, letters, speeches, interviews, books, newspaper articles, etc.
Many different types of sources can be primary sources, depending on the context and your research question. If you're writing a research paper about the naval battles in the War of 1812, Theodore Roosevelt's book The Naval War of 1812 would be a secondary source. If you are writing about Roosevelt himself, the same book may be a primary source.
Since any source can be a primary source, depending on your research question, there's no one simple way to search for them. You'll have to figure out what primary sources for your topic will consist of. Consult with a librarian or your instructor if you're having trouble.
Secondary sources utilize primary sources as evidence to describe, analyze, explain, or interpret these primary sources. These sources provide valuable context about primary sources. Most scholarly books and articles are secondary sources. The important feature of secondary literature is that they utilize primary sources as evidence. Secondary sources may be books, articles, histories, biographies, literary criticism, legal commentary, political analyses, or other forms of criticism, commentary, or analyses. Secondary sources are primarily produced by and for experts and academics, not the general public, though there are exceptions.
Oftentimes, the secondary literature is referred to as a conversation among scholars across time. It is important to know the highlights of what has been said in this conversation on your topic, in order to understand where your unique contribution fits in. By engaging in academic research and writing, you are joining in and contributing to this conversation.
Tertiary sources index, organize, compile, digest, or summarize other sources. Many reference materials and textbooks are tertiary sources. The primary use of tertiary sources in academic research is for background information (for example, to help you form a list of searching keywords) and to point you to important primary and secondary sources via footnotes, source lists, bibliographies, etc. Generally speaking, tertiary sources are not to be cited in academic research.
A high quality tertiary source can give you a valuable birds-eye view of a topic and help you quickly find key authors, texts, perspectives, dates, and other information and sources. If you're unsure whether the tertiary source you're consulting is high quality, cross check the information you find with several other sources, or you can consult a librarian or your instructor.
Example!
Say you are writing a research paper about the March on Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Primary:
One important primary resource would be the text, audio, or video of King's I Have a Dream speech. (Wikimedia image)
Secondary:
One secondary resource you'd use might be the book King's Dream, about the March on Washington and the speech, from Yale University Press. (cover image from publisher)
Tertiary:
You may utilize a tertiary source like an encyclopedia of African American history to help you with background information and to place the March in a larger context. (image from publisher)
Evaluating Primary Sources
Example: 1860 Federal Census Form
Questions for evaluating a text-based primary source:
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Who is the author?
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When was the source composed?
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Who was the intended audience?
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What is the purpose of the source? (Note that some primary sources, such as letters to the editor, have a central theme or argument and are intended to persuade; others, such as birth registers, are purely factual)
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What is the historical context in which the source was written and read?
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How do the author’s gender, race, nationality, sexuality, disability status, and socioeconomic class compare to those of the people about whom he or she is writing?
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What unspoken assumptions does the text contain?
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What biases are detectable in the source?
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Was the original text commissioned by anyone or published by a press with a particular viewpoint?
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How do other contemporary sources compare with this one?
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 10th ed. (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, Macmillan Learning, 2021), 2b.
Evaluating Secondary Sources
Questions for evaluating a secondary source:
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Who is the author? What are their academic credentials?
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When was the text written?
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What is the political, social, and cultural context in which the source was written?
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Who is the publisher? Is the text published by a scholarly press or a popular one?
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Who is the intended audience for the text (scholars, students, general reading public, or some other audience)?
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What is the author’s main argument or thesis?
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Does the author use primary sources as evidence to support his or her thesis? Is the author’s interpretation of the primary sources persuasive?
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Could the same facts be interpreted in another way to support a different thesis?
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Look out for logical fallacies like hasty generalizations and post hoc fallacies
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Are you aware of any primary source evidence that the author does not consider?
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Does the author contradict or disagree with others who have written about the subject? If so, do they acknowledge and effectively address opposing arguments or interpretations?
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Do the footnotes/endnotes and bibliography reference other important works on the same topic?
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Does the author build his or her argument on any unsubstantiated assumptions?
Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History, 10th ed. (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, Macmillan Learning, 2021)