Sources are divided into three main categories. Understanding resource types can be helpful when selecting sources to use in a research assignment. For example, suppose you are researching a legal topic. In that case, you may want to consult primary legal resources such as statutes and cases (primary source), or use a summary or interpretation that a law review article may provide (secondary source), or include definitions of legal terms that you find in a legal dictionary (tertiary source). Understanding the differences in these types will help you select and evaluate resources in the research process. For more information, please see:
A primary source is a first-hand account by an author who witnessed an event or had a direct connection to it. Primary sources include:
Secondary sources provide a summary, interpretation, analysis, or description of the information found in a primary source. Secondary sources are written by someone who does not have a first-hand account of an event. They include:
Tertiary sources provide an overview or summary of both primary and secondary information. They include:
