Differentiating between primary and secondary sources

What is a primary source and what do you need it for?

A primary source is a historical document that was created at or near the time of the events studied, by a known person, for a known purpose. The most common form of primary sources is a written testimony, e.g. diary entries, books, essays, newspaper articles or any other form of text. Also, paintings, photographs or other physical objects like coins or pottery shards can be primary sources.

Different forms of primary sources:

• Unless you are a time traveler, you don’t have direct access to the past. You need primary sources of the time to gain insight into historical conditions and mindsets. Through primary sources, you can learn more about scientific, social, political, or personal circumstances.
• Even if you are doing research on a current topic, primary sources can be helpful. If you are researching a contemporary person or phenomenon, you probably won’t have firsthand access. Current documents can help you to gain an overview. This can be, for example, a media report about an important figure, or even a tweet by the person in question.
• You yourself also create sources with your own work: The qualitative and quantitative data you collect yourself – such as insights gained in interviews, surveys or experiments – also count as primary sources.

What is a secondary source and what do you need it for?

A secondary source is anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information from primary sources. Secondary sources support your thesis or cite other perspectives and are part of every scientific paper. Unlike primary sources, secondary sources are always written documents. They can be divided into four major subgroups: monographs, anthologies, journals, and internet sources.

Different forms of secondary sources:

• The monograph is a classic piece of scientific literature. It is a printed publication that deals with a scientific topic using various primary and/or secondary sources. It can also be written by more than one author.
• An anthology is a collection of several scientific articles on a specific topic. The overall topic is often chosen more broadly, whilst the articles cover various aspects.
• Journals are published regularly and reflect the current state of research in their respective fields. The articles can deal with current topics or with topics from the distant past. References are also indispensable for journals in order to comply with scientific standards.
• Examples of internet sources are scientific blog articles or digitized handbook entries. Here, a close examination of the scientific standards is necessary before you use it. You should pay particular attention to whether the online publication has references and an imprint.

Adding sources correctly to your bibliography or list of references

Some supervisors or faculties may want you to list primary and secondary sources separately in your bibliography or list of references. It is best to ask your supervisor whether you can list everything together or whether you should separate your sources.

Always list the sources in alphabetical order. If you’re separating your primary and secondary sources, the alphabetical order applies to each section.

Learn how to properly cite various sources in our citation tutorial: How to cite correctly in an academic paper

Examples of sources

Primary source	Secondary source
– A recording of a theater play	– A review of the play in a theater journal
– A letter written by a historical figure	– A biography about the historical figure
– A painting	– An exhibition catalog explaining the context of the painting
– An empirical study	– A monograph citing the study
– A novel	– An anthology with essays on different aspects of the novel

Test yourself: Do you know how to differentiate between primary and secondary sources?

What is the most common form of a primary source?

1. Dried fruits from ancient times
2. Written testimonies
3. Documentaries about animals

    Solution:

   B – The most common form of primary sources is a written testimony, e.g. diary entries, books, essays, newspaper articles or any other form of text.

What kind of source material is the qualitative and quantitative data you collect for your study?

1. Primary sources
2. Secondary sources
3. Tertiary sources

    Solution:

   A – The qualitative and quantitative data you collect yourself – such as insights gained in interviews, surveys or experiments – count as primary sources.

What is an anthology?

1. A rare fossil
2. A collection of several academic articles on a specific topic
3. A text that has not yet been published

    Solution:

   B – A collection of several academic articles on a specific topic.

What does a trustworthy internet source need?

1. Video and photo material
2. Several authors
3. References and an imprint

    Solution:

   C – References show where the information from the text comes from. An imprint is a sign that the website is reputable.

How should you list your sources?

1. By importance
2. Alphabetically
3. Not at all. Let chaos reign!

    Solution:

   B – An alphabetical order provides clarity.