Peer Review
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Primary Sources
Hans Weingartz Leonce49
"Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later."
- Yale University, Primary Sources at Yale 2008
Primary sources can include:
A quick guide to using Primary sources from the DoHistory website.
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources comment on, describe, discuss, analyse, and interpret primary sources of information. For this reason, they are usually created after the event or time period recorded by the primary sources they use. Examples include;
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Tertiary Sources
Tertiary sources are similar to secondary sources in that they both interpret primary sources of information. Tertiary sources, however, are usually condensed summaries and are useful as general reference material, offering definitions and overviews when you are starting on your research. Examples include;
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To find tertiary sources in MultiSearch;
Image courtesy of Portland Community College Library
Use Multisearch to search for electronic or hardcopy reference sources in the library.
This will search for the required reference type across the relevant subject area;
Video courtesy of La Trobe University Library
