secondary source

(noun)

Any document that draws on one or more primary sources and interprets or analyses them; also, sources such as newspapers, whose accuracy is open to question.

Related Terms

Examples of secondary source in the following topics:

  • Scholarly Sources

    • It's likely that you will find secondary sources that provide analysis of these sources, but you should also examine them to conduct your own analysis.
    • Secondary sources, by contrast, are books and articles that analyze primary sources.
    • Most essays will use a combination of primary and secondary sources.
    • Science: You may include findings from a scientific research study as a primary source, and you may include an article from a medical journal as a secondary source.
    • History: You may include correspondence between historical figures as a primary source, and you may include information from a textbook as a secondary source.

  • Step 2: Researching

    • A paper exploring whether Hamlet's goal of revenge was achieved could draw on sources from all ages, whereas the theme of revenge in recent political events would require current sources.
    • When you write expository essays, you hear a lot about primary and secondary research.
    • Secondary sources may quote primary sources to support a point or draw conclusions from examining many primary sources.
    • Most of the time, it's useful to initially consult secondary sources because they can point you toward the primary sources that most interest you.
    • For the purpose of your paper, you'll want to quote the study or the thinker (the primary source) directly — first, because you want to be sure you really understand what the author is concluding (secondary sources can misrepresent the primary source), and second, because by reading the primary source, you'll get the whole picture, rather than just the part selected by the secondary source's author.

  • Deciphering the Conversation

    • As important as it is to find sources specific to your topic, it is equally vital to correctly assess each source's credibility—that is, to discern how trustworthy, accurate and verifiable the sources are.
    • A scholarly source is a source written by a professional in a given field.
    • Oftentimes in academic writing, you will also want to consult scholarly secondary sources to accompany primary sources.
    • Using an outdated source, even if the source has a solid reputation among other scholars, will likely provide inaccurate information regarding contemporary issues and current controversies.
    • With any source, you must also be aware of the author's possible bias.

  • Quoting Relevant Passages

    • An example of a primary-source quote might be: T.S.
    • An example of a secondary-source quote might be: T.S.
    • As you read sources that relate to your paper topic, be on the lookout for good quotes.
    • You can also find quotes in secondary texts, which are analytical works such as literary criticism and political commentary.
    • Secondary texts are called "secondary" because they comment on primary texts.

  • Overview of the IMRAD Model

    • You can cite relevant sources in the methods, discussion, and conclusion sections, but again, save the lengthy discussion of those sources for the introduction or literature review.
    • A literature review is not merely a summary of the sources you've found for your paper—it should synthesize the information gathered from those sources in order to demonstrate that work still needs to be done.
    • Explain your selection criteria early on—why did you choose each of your sources?
    • Seek out a diverse range of sources.
    • Look at primary-research reports and data sets in addition to secondary or analytical sources.

  • The Importance of Reliability

    • This will ensure that your source is both credible and relevant, and that the source will enhance your paper rather than undermine it.
    • The guidelines for assessing the usability of print sources and digital sources (i.e., sources accessed through the Internet) are similar.
    • One point to keep in mind for both digital and print sources is age: How old is the source?
    • Instead, it will be helpful to combine the older, primary sources with more recent, secondary scholarship.
    • Author bias is another consideration in choosing a source.

  • Parentheses

    • This is not common in formal writing (though sometimes other brackets [especially square brackets] will be used for one or more inner set of parentheses [in other words, secondary {or even tertiary} phrases can be found within the main parenthetical sentence]).
    • The bracketed expression "[sic]" is used after a quote or reprinted text to indicate the passage appears exactly as in the original source; a bracketed ellipsis "[...]" is often used to indicate deleted material; bracketed comments indicate when original text has been modified for clarity.

  • MLA: Introduction to Citing Your Sources

  • APA: Introduction to Citing Your Sources

  • Chicago/Turabian: Introduction to Citing Your Sources