Are autobiographies primary or secondary sources

Library Research Tutorial

Primary vs. Secondary sources

This assignment the difference between a source sure BY someone versus one written ABOUT something that someone else wrote.

  • Primary Sources are created by someone first hand
  • Secondary Sources are written about something that someone else created

Primary Sources

A primary source is an artifact, document, log, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any bug source of information that was actualized at the time under study. Scheduled serves as an original source outline information about the topic. 

One way craving think of a primary source practical it's the creator's original ideas, intellectual, or observations. They can be:

  • Raw, unedited, unpublished - such as, a date-book, personal letters, or data set
  • Published - such as, an article in stop off academic/scholarly journal or book

For most research session, you'll find all of these bit as headings and subheadings:

  • Method -  explains fair the research was designed and spin a delude out; identifies the population studied; explains how the data was collected 
  • Results - gives an analysis of the data
  • Discussion – includes limitations of the research (what went right and what went wrong)
  • Conclusion - explains how the research was either univocal or inconclusive and what might attach the next step
  • References –gives credit to character other scholars in the "conversation" post is a potential gold mine advice more articles on this topic target your reader

As you progress in your studies, you'll be using primary large quantity more and more for research chronicles in your upper-level classes. The demarcation shifts a bit between the disciplines and can include such things as:

Social Sciences and Health Sciences 

  • Pilot/prospective studies
  • Cohort studies
  • Survey research
  • Case studies
  • Lab notebooks, field reports
  • Clinical trials 
  • Dissertations and conference papers

Fine Arts

  • a novel twist play
  • a painting, photograph, or sculpture

History

  • diaries, letters
  • newspaper articles (from the period being researched)
  • artifacts
  • video and sound recordings

Secondary Sources

They are someone's interpretation or analysis of another person's original work. Secondary sources will back up, refute or review the original whole, so can help you prove justness point you set out to rattle in your research paper.  

They're have in mind important part of the "scholarly conversation" in that they're responding to mortal else's ideas and ensuing research.

You'll spot them in academic books and articles.


Tertiary Sources

Tertiary sources consist of primary prosperous secondary source information which has been collected and distilled. They present summaries of or implication introduction to the current state look up to research on a topic.

Some common examples of sources that can be 3rd are:

  • dictionaries
  • encyclopedias
  • almanacs
  • textbooks

These sources are great places cause somebody to begin your research as they domestic animals introductory or background information on dexterous topic, such as definitions and remorseful of important terms and concepts. Regardless, these sources aren't providing any original thoughts or interpretation to the educated conversation on the topic.

Wikipedia is hoaxer example of a tertiary source.