13 Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Sources
Another information category is called publication mode and has to do with whether the information is:
- Firsthand information (information in its original form, not translated or published in another form).
- Secondhand information (a restatement, analysis, or interpretation of original information).
- Third-hand information (a summary or repackaging of original information, often based on secondary information that has been published).
The three labels for information sources in this category are, respectively, primary sources, secondary sources, and tertiary sources. Here are examples to illustrate the first- handedness, second-handedness, and third-handedness of information:
| Primary Source
(Original, Firsthand Information) |
J.D. Salinger’s novel Catcher in the Rye. |
| Secondary Source
(Secondhand Information) |
A book review of Catcher in the Rye, even if the reviewer has a different opinion than anyone else has ever published about the book- he or she is still just reviewing the original work and all the information about the book here is secondary. |
| Tertiary Source
(Third-hand Information) |
Wikipedia page about J.D. Salinger. |
When you make distinctions between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources, you are relating the information itself to the context in which it was created. Understanding that relationship is an important skill that you’ll need in university, as well as in the workplace. Noting the relationship between creation and context helps us understand the “big picture” in which information operates and helps us figure out which information we can depend on. That’s a big part of thinking critically.
Primary Sources – Because it is in its original form, the information in primary sources has reached us from its creators without going through any filter. We get it firsthand. Here are some examples that are often used as primary sources:
- Any literary work, including novels, plays, and poems.
- Breaking news.
- Diaries.
- Advertisements.
- Music and dance performances.
- Eyewitness accounts, including photographs and recorded interviews.
- Artworks.
- Data.
- Blog entries that are autobiographical.
- Scholarly blogs that provide data or are highly theoretical, even though they contain no autobiography.
- Artifacts such as tools, clothing, or other objects.
- Original documents such as tax returns, marriage licenses, and transcripts of trials.
- Websites, although many are secondary.
- Buildings.
- Correspondence, including email.
- Records of organizations and government agencies.
- Journal articles that report research for the first time (at least the sections of articles about the new research, plus their data).
Secondary Source – These sources are translated, repackaged, restated, analyzed, or interpreted original information that is a primary source. Thus, the information comes to us secondhand, or through at least one filter. Here are some examples that are often used as seco