Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources of Information
As an event or research travels through the information
timeline it will be documented in various ways.
Primary Sources of Information
These provide un-interpreted, first hand
accounts or evidence of an event or experience.
Primary sources contain original information or
data and are usually written at the time of the
event or research. Primary sources are considered
scholarly because they are usually the original
source of information and allow the researcher to
analyse a topic without another person’s interpretation.
Examples: letters, diaries, patents, surveys,
speeches, photographs, autobiographies, original
artworks etc.
NOTE: Primary information is not necessarily unpublished
material. It can be published or reproduced in secondary
sources (e.g. photographs or a poem in a book, a
published diary).
Secondary Sources of Information
Secondary sources interpret and investigate primary
source material. They provide discussion and commentary
of the original, first hand primary source. Secondary
sources are usually written well after the event
or research has occurred.
Examples: books, journal articles, commentaries,
textbooks, biographies, analysis of literature or
artworks etc.
Tertiary Sources of Information
Tertiary sources summarise or condense primary and
secondary sources on a particular topic or event.
The information collated is usually presented in
a brief format.
Examples: encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries,
guides, indexes, factbooks, directories etc.
The table below provides examples of primary, secondary
and tertiary information types from each faculty.
| Subject |
Information Type |
| Primary |
Secondary |
Tertiary |
| Arts (WWII) |
Diaries, artifacts |
Book on Soldiers life during WWII |
Subject Guide on Australia and WWII |
| Commerce |
Annual report |
Book on Investment Analysis |
Directory of Companies |
Creative Arts
(Visual Arts) |
Photographs |
Book on a Photographer |
Encyclopedia on Photography |
| Education |
School of the Air newsletter |
Journal articles on the School of the Air |
Dictionary of Australian Education |
| Engineering |
Patent |
Book on Patents |
Ei Compendex*Plus database |
| Health and Behavioural Sciences |
Diary of Freud |
Journal articles on Freud |
Psychology encyclopedia |
| Informatics |
Computer program language |
Book on computer programming |
Computer dictionary |
| Law |
Hansard on Firearms Law |
Commentary on a firearms case |
Austlii Database |
| Science |
Lab Notes |
Journal Article |
Chemistry Encyclopedia |
What's the difference between archives
and primary sources of information?
Although archival records predominantly consist
of primary sources, they may also comprise some
secondary and tertiary source material. For example,
the personal archives of an academic may include
their letters and diaries, as well as material they
have published about their research area.
For further information about The University of
Wollongong Archives, its collections and access,
see: http://www.library.uow.edu.au/archives/
Scholarly
vs. popular information
|
