Primary vs. Secondary Sources: The Differences Explained | Scribbr 🎓

Summary

In this educational video, Jessica from Scribbr explains the importance of primary and secondary sources in academic writing. Primary sources offer direct evidence from the time of the event, such as letters and official records, while secondary sources interpret and analyze primary information, often found in academic literature. The video emphasizes the complementary nature of these sources, with primary sources enhancing originality and credibility, and secondary sources providing context and supporting arguments. It also highlights the use of Scribbr's citation generator for proper citation.

Takeaways

• 📚 Primary sources offer raw, firsthand evidence and are the main objects of analysis in academic research.
• 🔍 Secondary sources provide second-hand information, interpretations, and commentaries from other researchers.
• 📜 In history, primary sources include letters, photographs, newspapers, and official records created at the time of the events.
• 🎨 In art and literature, primary sources are the actual artistic works like poems, paintings, or films being analyzed.
• 🧪 In social sciences, primary sources are empirical studies or data collected by the researcher, such as interviews or social media posts.
• 🗣️ An example of a primary source in political communication could be a direct quote or transcript from a political figure's speech.
• 📘 Secondary sources in academic writing are often academic books, journal articles, encyclopedias, textbooks, and reviews that synthesize or critique primary sources.
• 🔗 Both primary and secondary sources are essential in research, as they complement each other to build a strong and credible argument.
• 🔑 Primary sources are crucial for originality and credibility, while secondary sources help contextualize your work within existing research.
• 🔍 Secondary sources can provide a broad overview of primary sources that would be difficult to gather individually, aiding in a comprehensive topic understanding.
• 📝 Correct citation of both primary and secondary sources is vital, and tools like Scribbr's citation generator can assist in this process.

Q & A

What is a primary source?

A primary source provides direct evidence about the people, events, or phenomena being researched. They are often the main objects of analysis and vary based on the subject of study.

Can you give examples of primary sources in different fields?

In history, primary sources include letters, photographs, and official records. In art and literature, they include poems, paintings, and films. In social sciences, they are empirical studies or data collected by the researcher, such as interview transcripts or social media posts.

What is the role of primary sources in academic writing?

Primary sources provide direct evidence, making research more original and credible. They are crucial for analyzing and discovering new insights in the topic under study.

What is a secondary source?

A secondary source interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information from primary sources. Common examples include academic books, journal articles, encyclopedias, and reviews.

How do primary and secondary sources complement each other?

Primary sources provide original evidence, while secondary sources offer interpretations and context. Together, they help build a convincing argument by combining direct evidence with broader analysis.

When should you use primary sources?

Use primary sources when you want to make new discoveries, provide original analysis, or offer direct evidence for your arguments.

When should you use secondary sources?

Use secondary sources to provide background information, support or contrast your arguments with other researchers' ideas, or reference primary sources that you cannot access directly.

Why are secondary sources important?

Secondary sources bring together multiple primary sources that may be difficult to gather on your own. They help provide a full understanding of a topic and allow you to see how your work fits into existing research.

What types of secondary sources might be used in a research paper?

Common secondary sources include academic books, journal articles, encyclopedias, textbooks, reviews, and documentaries that provide analysis and commentary on primary sources.

What is an example of using a primary and secondary source in the same paper?

In a paper analyzing Barack Obama’s election victory speech, quoting the speech directly is using a primary source, while citing an academic article that analyzes the speech is using a secondary source.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding Primary and Secondary Sources

The paragraph introduces the concept of primary and secondary sources in academic research. Primary sources are original materials that provide direct evidence about the subject of study, such as letters, photographs, and official records in history, or the actual artistic works in art and literature. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are interpretations and analyses of primary sources, often found in academic books, journal articles, encyclopedias, and other scholarly works. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of using both types of sources to build a strong and credible argument in academic writing.

Keywords

💡Primary sources

Primary sources are original materials that provide direct evidence about the subject being researched. They are the first-hand accounts or artifacts created at the time of the event or by the people being studied. In the context of the video, primary sources are crucial for historical research as they can include letters, photographs, newspapers, and official records. They are also vital in art and literature, where the works themselves are the primary sources. For example, analyzing a poem or a painting directly would involve using the work as a primary source. In social sciences, primary sources might include empirical data collected by the researcher, such as interview transcripts or social media posts.

💡Secondary sources

Secondary sources are materials that provide second-hand information or interpretations of primary sources. They are often created by researchers who analyze, interpret, or evaluate the primary sources. The video explains that secondary sources can include academic books, journal articles, encyclopedias, textbooks, reviews, essays, and news stories or documentaries that report on a topic. These sources are used to provide background information, support arguments with existing research, or to access information from primary sources that might be difficult to obtain directly.

💡Academic goals

Academic goals refer to the objectives one aims to achieve in the context of education and research. The video's host, Jessica, mentions helping viewers achieve their academic goals, which implies improving their research and writing skills. This is a central theme as the video is designed to educate viewers on how to effectively use primary and secondary sources in their academic work.

💡Empirical studies

Empirical studies are research projects that involve the collection and analysis of observable, measurable data to draw conclusions. In the video, empirical studies are mentioned as a type of primary source in the social sciences, where the researcher collects data, such as through interviews or surveys, to analyze and support their arguments.

💡Citation

Citation is the act of acknowledging the source of information used in one's work to avoid plagiarism and to give credit to the original author. The video emphasizes the importance of citing both primary and secondary sources correctly, which is essential for academic integrity. It also mentions Scribbr's citation generator as a tool to assist with this process.

💡In-text citations

In-text citations are brief references within the body of a text that indicate where the information was sourced. The video script mentions that viewers can check out another video for guidance on how to do in-text citations, highlighting the importance of proper citation practices in academic writing.

💡Political communication

Political communication is a field of study that focuses on the exchange of information and messages within the political process. The video uses the example of analyzing Barack Obama's election victory speech to illustrate how primary sources, such as the video or transcript of the speech, can be used in research.

💡Original analysis

Original analysis refers to the process of examining and interpreting information in a novel way, contributing new insights or perspectives. The video suggests using primary sources for original analysis, as they provide the raw material that allows researchers to form their own conclusions and arguments.

💡Credibility

Credibility in academic research refers to the trustworthiness and reliability of the sources and arguments presented. The video mentions that primary sources enhance the credibility of a researcher's work by providing direct evidence and original insights.

💡Existing research

Existing research refers to previously conducted studies and scholarly work on a particular topic. Secondary sources often synthesize and summarize this existing research, helping researchers understand the current state of knowledge and how their work relates to it. The video explains that secondary sources are important for showing how one's research fits into the broader academic conversation.

Highlights

Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence.

Secondary sources offer second-hand information and commentary from other researchers.

Primary sources are essential for learning about events of the past, such as letters, photographs, newspapers, and official records.

In art and literature, primary sources are the artistic works being analyzed, like poems, paintings, or films.

In social sciences, primary sources are empirical studies or data collected by the researcher.

Secondary sources describe, interpret, evaluate, or analyze information from primary sources.

Most secondary sources in academic papers are academic books or journal articles.

Secondary sources can also include encyclopedias, textbooks, reviews, essays, news stories, or documentaries.

Citing secondary sources usually involves testing their arguments against new evidence or using their ideas to formulate your own.

Primary sources make your work more original and credible.

Secondary sources show how your work relates to existing research.

Secondary sources help gain a full understanding of your topic by bringing together a large number of primary sources.

Use primary sources for making new discoveries, providing original analysis, or giving direct evidence for your arguments.

Use secondary sources for providing background information, supporting or contrasting your arguments with other researchers' ideas, or using inaccessible primary sources.

Both primary and secondary sources are necessary for building a convincing argument in academic writing.

Scribbr's citation generator can help with correctly citing sources.

Check out Scribbr's video on how to do in-text citations for further guidance.

Transcripts

When writing an academic essay or research paper, you have to gather information and

evidence from a variety of sources.

Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence.

Whereas secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers.

Wanna learn more about the differences and understand when to use which?

Then keep watching!

Hi, I'm Jessica from Scribbr, here to help you achieve your academic goals.

A primary source is anything that gives you direct evidence about the people, events,

or phenomena that you are researching.

They will usually be the main objects of your analysis.

The form of primary sources depends on the subject you’re studying.

In history, primary sources are essential for learning about the events of the past.

They can be anything produced at the time, such as letters, photographs, newspapers,

and official records.

In art and literature, your primary sources are the artistic works you’re analyzing

– for example, poems, paintings or films.

And in the social sciences, primary sources are usually empirical studies or data that

you collected yourself – anything from interview transcripts to social media posts.

For example, say I’m writing a paper about political communication, and I want to analyze

Barack Obama’s election victory speech.

If I quote Obama directly in my paper, the video or transcript of the speech is the primary

source.

Check out our article here for more examples!

But then what is a secondary source?

A secondary source is anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information

from primary sources.

In a paper or essay, most of your secondary sources will be academic books or journal

articles.

But they might also include: Encyclopedias and textbooks that summarize

information Reviews and essays that evaluate or interpret

primary sources Or news stories or documentaries that report

on your topic When you cite a secondary source, it’s usually

not to analyze it directly.

Instead, you’ll probably test its arguments against new evidence or use its ideas to help

formulate your own.

For example, in my political communication paper, if I cite an academic article that

also analyzed Obama's speeches, then I’m using a secondary source.

I can also use secondary sources that focus on other famous political speeches, to gain

a better understanding of the topic and how other researchers have approached it.

Most papers should use both primary and secondary sources.

They complement each other to help you build a convincing argument.

Primary sources make your work more original and credible, while secondary sources show

how your work relates to existing research.

Secondary sources often bring together a large number of primary sources that would be difficult

and time-consuming to gather by yourself, so they’re important to help you gain a

full understanding of your topic.

Use primary sources when you want to: Make new discoveries

Provide your own original analysis Or give direct evidence for your arguments

Use secondary sources when you want to: Provide background information on the topic

Support or contrast your arguments with other researchers’ ideas

Or use information from primary sources that you can’t access directly, for example, private

letters or physical documents located elsewhere.

Now no matter which kind of source you've used, make sure to cite it correctly - it's

super easy with Scribbr's citation generator!

If you’re not sure how to do in-text citations, check out this video here!