6.5 – Primary and Secondary Sources
Learning Objectives
After completing this tutorial, you will be able to:
- distinguish between primary and secondary sources,
- use each type of source appropriately in your research.
Introduction:
Watch Primary and secondary sources with ncLibraries on YouTube (5 mins)
Primary Sources: What are they?
Watch Primary vs. secondary sources: Primary sources defined on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources I
Primary and Secondary Sources I (Text version)
Which of the following are characteristics of primary sources?
- Created by direct witnesses
- Original documents
- Analyze the work of others
- Both A & C
- Both A & B
Check your Answer: [1]
Primary Source Examples:
Watch Primary vs. secondary sources: Primary source examples on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources II
Primary and Secondary Sources III (Text version)
For a news item to be considered a primary source, it should be written at the time an event is occurring. True or false?
Check your Answer: [2]
When to use Primary Sources:
Watch Primary vs. secondary sources: When to use primary sources on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources III
Primary and Secondary Sources III (Text version)
Primary sources are useful for which of the following purposes?
- evidence for theories
- provide perspectives on topics
- focal point for discussion
- all of the above
Check your Answer: [3]
Secondary Sources: What are they?
Watch Primary vs. secondary sources: Secondary sources defined on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources IV
Primary and Secondary Sources IV (Text version)
Which of the following are characteristics of secondary sources?
- They analyze primary sources.
- They are a step removed from what they are describing.
- They are usually published works.
- All of the above.
Check your Answer: [4]
Secondary Source Examples:
Watch Primary vs. secondary sources: Examples on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources V
Primary and Secondary Sources V (Text version)
Which of the following would NOT be considered a secondary source for a paper on Lake Erie yellow perch populations?
- Raw numeric data containing yellow perch counts from Ontario’s Ministry of Fisheries and Natural Resources.
- Journal article titled, “Estimating the size of historical yellow perch runs in Lake Erie” by Chad Meenings and Robert Lackey.
- The Encyclopedia of Great Lakes Fish edited by Davis Allorman.
- All of the above.
Check your Answer: [5]
When to use Secondary Sources:
Watch Primary vs. secondary sources: When should you use secondary sources on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources VI
Primary and Secondary Sources VI (Text version)
Secondary sources are good places to find raw, unanalyzed data. True or false?
Check your Answer: [6]
Primary and Secondary Sources Compared:
Watch Primary and secondary sources compared on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources VII
Primary and Secondary Sources VII (Text version)
Which of the following would be considered a secondary source (check all that apply)?
- Hamlet by Shakespeare
- Article titled “Hamlet’s dramatic arras” by Rebecca Olson
- Article titled “Communication in the 21st Century: The Blog” by Mark Kellen
- Transcripts of published blogs
- A documentary on theories of changing owl migratory patterns.
- Data describing population numbers of the spotted owl.
Check your Answer: [7]
Primary and Secondary Sources: The Importance of Context
Watch Primary vs. secondary sources: Context on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources VIII
Primary and Secondary Sources VIII (Text version)
If a source is considered primary for one research project, it will be considered primary for all other research projects. True or false?
Check your Answer: [8]
Primary and Secondary Sources: Review
Watch Primary vs. secondary sources: Review on YouTube (1 min)
Primary and Secondary Sources IX
Primary and Secondary Sources IX
Which type of source usually is viewed as analysis or interpretation?
- Primary
- Secondary
- Neither
Check your Answer: [9]
Questions:
Contact your library for support.
Attributions & References
- Content originally created by Jen Klaudinyi for CLIP, modified by Jaclyn Chambers Page for Niagara College Libraries.
- This chapter (text, H5P activities and embedded videos) was adapted from “Primary and Secondary Sources” In Niagara College Libraries + Learning Commons Information Skills Online Handbook by Jackie Chambers Page and Siscoe Boschman, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Adaptations include updates for improved accessibility. Attributions noted for this chapter’s videos were noted in a final video, which have been transcribed into text below for consistency and “Credits” video removed.
Attributions from videos in this section:
-
- Images used in videos were used under Unsplash license
- e. ↵
- True. ↵
- d. Primary sources can be used as focal points for discussions, evidence for theories, and/or to gain perpective on a topic. ↵
- d. ↵
- a. ↵
- False. Raw, unanalyzed data is a primary source. ↵
- b, c, & e are all secondary sources. ↵
- False. A source's classification as primary or secondary can change depending on the topic that you're studying. ↵
- b. Secondary sources usually interpret or analyze primary sources. ↵
