Secondary source simple english wikipedia, the free. Follow these directions when citing a secondary source. For example, the book university of illinois, 18941904. Use secondary sources to obtain an overview of a topic andor identify primary resources. Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. For example, an autobiography is a primary source while a biography is a secondary source. In library and information sciences, secondary sources are generally regarded. You can find primary and secondary sources published in book form. A secondary source is a document or recording that writes or speaks about information that is one step removed from the original source the secondary source depends on the primary source or original source of the information. You can use the cited reference search in web of science to find secondary source articles that cite a specified secondary or primary source article or book. These are much shorter than books, but also much more specific. Cite secondary sources sparinglyfor instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable, or available only in a language that you do not understand. A secondary source describes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources. Popular secondary sources books showing 150 of 276 the last lion.
Secondary sources sometimes an author writes about research that someone else has done, but you are unable to track down the original research report. From one vantage point, books are the classic secondary source. Sources include journals, newspapers, newsletters, bulletins, books, book chapters, proceedings, reports, theses, dissertations, ngo studies. Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. There are materials on world war ii, the korean war, and the gulf war. A news article may be treated as a primary source e. Microsoft word citing secondary or indirect sources revised 2014 jh mu substantial.
In a long article or book, the thesis is usually diffuse. For a historical research project, secondary sources are generally scholarly books and articles. Click the star on the publications table of contents page and theyll appear here. For example, if allports work is cited in nicholson and you did not. Is the book of the dead a primary or secondary source. Books, primary and secondary sources art resources research. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. A commemoration of world war ii service, a book by judith bellafaire. Secondary source a document or other record of past events created by someone who was not present during the events or the time period in which they occurred a classmate giving a report about hurricane sandy. Secondary sources describe, analyse, interpret or draw conclusions from a primary source. Refrain from including such resources in an annotated bibliography for doctoral level work unless there is a good reason. In the reference list, provide an entry for the secondary source that you used.
Most often though, secondary sources act as a way to keep up with or discuss progress in a field of study, wherein a writer may use anothers observations on a topic to summarize his or her own viewpoints on the matter to progress the. Primary sources are available here primarily for use in highschool and universitycollege courses. In this case, because you did not read the original report, you will include only the source you did consult in your references. You wont find a complete biography of nelson mandela in a scholarly journal article, but rather an analysis of a specific part of his life or work. If possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source. Primary sources can be original documents such as letters, speeches, diaries, creative works such as art, novels, music and film, published materials of the times newspapers, magazines, memoirs, etc. Mao zedong and the independent and comprehensive industrial system and the modernization of new china. A biology textbook would be considered a secondary source if in the field of biology, since it describes and interprets the science but makes no original contribution to it. There are two main places to start your search for books. Powered by create your own unique website with customizable templates.
This was a very informative book that gave insight into the career of amelia. This source consists of journals, articles, histories, encyclopedias and books. Scholarly journals, although generally considered to be secondary sources, often contain articles on very specific subjects and may be the primary source of information on new developments. Rule 15 in the bluebook explains how to properly cite a book. Surface, the syracuse university research facility and collaborative environment, is a fulltext, multimedia online database that provides. After the name of the author or editor, list the title of the book you read in italics. Another type of secondary source is a scholarly journal article. Secondary source meaning of secondary source by lexico. Quickly access your favorite secondary source publications directly from the secondary sources library.
Secondary sources bluebook citation 101 practitioner. If your secondary source is something other than a book, follow the mla. From the outset the site took a very broad view of the sources that. Secondary sources provide secondhand information and commentary from other researchers. Use titlecase, capitalizing nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs that appear in the title. They include an article and a book, though you may find that a chapter or two of the book prove to be particularly interesting. The life of lady mary wortley montagu by robert halsband, star trek. They can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis.
They can therefore take into consideration other events and place a primary source in its historical context. Primary and secondary sources research 101 libguides at. Secondary sources were created by someone who did not experience firsthand or participate in the events or conditions youre researching. A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. Search all secondary sources or only those you choose using filters and the publication list below. A secondary source is a mediary between you and the primary source. This book connected her love life with her flying career, and helped us understand her ambitions for flying, and how her romances affected her career. Secondary sources involve analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary sources. If you have recently published an article, book chapter, or book on susan glaspells work, and do not see it included here, contact the susan. In the text, identify the primary source and write as cited in the secondary source that you used. How to find secondary sources for a research project about. Aside from a textbook, the most commonly assigned secondary source is a scholarly monograph a volume on a. Scholarly or other articles about a topic, especially.
Visions of glory 18741932 by william manchester, a world lit only by fire. The definition of a secondary source is a different book or website or magazine or other source that you will simply use to support your ideas about your primary source. Secondary sources the international susan glaspell society. A secondary source is any source about an event, period, or issue in history that was produced after that event, period or issue has passed. Secondary sources are created after the studied eventwork took place or the studied work was created. Each different kind of secondary source has a slightly different set of rules for citation, which will be enumerated below. Secondary sources include books, articles, encyclopedias and other nonprimary sources. How do you cite a source that you found in another source. A secondary source may include more information about more aspects of the event than did a primary source. You can find both primary and secondary sources published in book form.
Primary vs secondary sources explained with easy examples. Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but good research uses both primary and secondary sources. Use secondary sources sparingly, for instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable through usual sources, or not available in english. The authors of secondary sources develop their interpretations and narratives of events based on primary sources, that is, documents and other evidence created by participants or eyewitnesses.
A secondary source is generally one or more steps removed from the event or time period and are written or produced after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. Primary and secondary sources research 101 libguides. If the year of publication of the primary source is known, also include it in the text citation. Secondary sources interpret, evaluate or discuss information found in primary sources. The original short story or book that you are researching is a primary source in this case, and the secondary sources that you are searching for will interpret or criticize various aspects of the work, like character development, plot, themes, etc.
A book by a military historian about the second world war might be a secondary source about the war, but where it includes details of the authors own war experiences, it would be a primary source about those experiences. On the other hand, if the topic is science education and the history of textbooks, textbooks could be used a primary sources to look at how they have changed over time. William manchester shelved 1 time as secondarysources avg rating 4. Often, the most difficult task when reading a secondary source is to identify the authors thesis. Paul halsall this page is a subset of texts derived from the three major online sourcebooks. Library guide to the history of science your guide to the history of science at harvard. Still, it appears that there are valuable secondary source materials here, although not many yet. It has more extensive lists of resources and tools than this introductory guide does. Books as primary and secondary sources hist 230 colonial. Here are a few examples of secondary sources on mao zedong and the peoples republic of china. In a wellwritten essay, the thesis is usually clearly stated near the beginning of the piece. How the researcher engages with a source ultimately determines if it is primary or secondary. In historiography, a secondary source is a study written by a scholar.
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