Sources of information are often classified as primary or secondary, depending on their originality. Click here vimeo.com/scclibrary/primary-and-secondary-sources/ to see the tutorial. A primary source provides direct or first-hand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of art. Primary sources provide the original materials on which further research is based and allow students and other researchers to get as close as possible to what actually happened during a particular event or time period. Published materials can be considered primary resources if they date from the period discussed and were written or produced by someone who experienced the event firsthand. Often, primary sources reflect the individual point of view of a participant or observer. Primary sources may or may not be written (sound, images, artifacts, etc.). In scientific research, primary sources present original ideas, report discoveries, or share new information. Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment, analyze, evaluate, summarize and treat primary sources. A secondary source is usually one or more steps that are removed from the event or period and are subsequently written or produced. Secondary sources often lack the freshness and immediacy of the original material. Sometimes secondary sources collect, organize, and package information about primary sources to increase usability and speed of deployment, such as an online encyclopedia.
Like primary sources, secondary materials may or may not be written (sound, images, films, etc.). www.sccollege.edu/Library/Pages/Primary-Sources.aspx.