A secondary sourceis anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyzes information from primary sources. Common examples include: 1. Books, articles and documentariesthat synthesize information on a topic 2. Synopses and descriptionsof artistic works 3. Encyclopedias and textbooksthat summarize information and ideas 4. Reviews and essayst...

To determine if something can be used as a primary or secondary source in your research, there are some simple questions you can ask yourself: 1. Does this source come from someone directly involved in the events I’m studying (primary) or from another researcher (secondary)? 2. Am I interested in evaluating the sourceitself (primary) or only using ...