Sources of Information

Feb 2, 2017
2 min read

Information can come from virtually anywhere: personal experiences, books, articles, expert opinions, encyclopedias, and the Web. The type of information needed will change depending on its application.

Individuals generate information on a daily basis as they go about their work. In academic institutions, staff and students consult various sources of information. The choice of the source to consulted is usually determined by the type of information sought. The three types of information sources are:

Primary
Secondary
Tertiary

PRIMARY SOURCES are original materials on which other research studies are based. Primary sources report a discovery or share new information they present first-hand accounts and information relevant to an event. They present information in its original form, not interpreted or condensed or evaluated by other writers. They are usually evidence or accounts of the events, practices, or conditions being researched and created by a person who directly experienced that event. The definition of a primary source may vary depending upon the discipline or context. A diary would be a primary source because it is written directly by the individual writing in the diary. Interviews are primary sources because the individual talks about the topic directly from what he/she knows about it.

Interview and diary

SECONDARY SOURCE is one that was created by someone who did not have first-hand experience or did not participate in the events or conditions being researched. They are generally accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. Secondary sources describe, analyze, interpret, evaluate, comment on and discuss the evidence provided by primary sources.

Secondary sources are works that are one step removed from the original event or experience that provide criticism, interpretation or evaluation of primary sources. Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence. A secondary data is one that has been collected by individuals or agencies for purposes other than those of a particular research study.

Newspaper

TERTIARY SOURCES consist of information which is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources. Generally, tertiary sources are not considered to be acceptable material on which to base academic research. Tertiary sources are usually not credited to a particular author. They are intended only to provide an overview of what the topic includes, its basic terminology, and often references for further reading.

Some reference materials and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or simply repackage ideas or other information. Examples of tertiary sources include dictionaries and encyclopedias, Wikipedia and similar user-contributed online 'encyclopedias' and reference materials.