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What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?

1644 views   |   Last updated on Nov 24, 2014    Types of Sources Information Literacy

 

Primary sources are original resources from the topic, such as newspapers, letter, diaries, speeches, government documents, etc.  While secondary sources are resources that analyze, evaluate, and interpret the topic using primary sources.  Examples of secondary sources are articles and books created after the subject.  Check out our Types of Sources Library Guide for more information.

Example:The Diary of Anne Frank is a primary source, while Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Muller published in 1998 is a secondary source.