Reading · Integration of knowledge & ideas
Primary & Secondary Sources
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Evaluate a source’s role, reliability, relevance, and limitations.
Read the explanations, try the quick checks, then take the lesson quiz to see what to review next.
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Source Type Depends on the Question
A primary source is direct evidence created by participants, observers, or researchers. A secondary source interprets, compares, or synthesizes primary and other sources. A newspaper editorial is secondary evidence for what happened at a meeting, but primary evidence for studying the newspaper's position.
Primary does not mean better. Judge sources claim by claim for relevance, proximity, method, expertise, currency, incentives, and corroboration. A witness may best describe the mood but be poor evidence for total attendance; a systematic count may be best for the number.
| Source | Often primary for | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| diary/interview | a person's experience | limited memory and perspective |
| original study | that study's method/results | one study may not settle a broad claim |
| photograph/raw record | what it directly captures | framing and missing context |
| review/textbook | synthesis/background | source selection and currency |
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