It depends on your field of study what primary & secondary sources actually means. Here's the difference:
Science (e.g. medicine, nursing, dentistry) |
| primary sources |
| Original materials that have not been filtered through interpretation or evaluation by a second party. |
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| a study reported in a journal article, a survey reported in a journal article, and technical reports. |
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example: Article in academic journal reporting research and methodology. |
| secondary sources |
| Sources that contain commentary on or a discussion about a primary source. |
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example: Articles analyzing and commenting on the results of original research; books doing the same |
Humanities, Art & Design, Social Sciences |
| primary sources |
| An original document containing firsthand information about a topic. |
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example: Anne Frank's diary |
| secondary sources |
| A secondary source contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. The most important feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources. |
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example: a blog post reviewing a recent movie. |