PRIMARY AND SECONDARY

SOURCES OF INFORMATION
 PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary sources are first-hand accounts or individual
representations and creative works. They are created by those
who have directly witnessed what they are describing, and bring
us as close to the original event or thought as possible without
being filtered, influenced or analyzed through interpretation. They
tend to be original documents that don't usually describe or
analyze work by others. Primary sources may be published or
unpublished works.
 PRIMARY SOURCES

 In research activities, primary source refers to

information collected firsthand from such sources
as historical documents, literary texts, artistic
works, experiments, surveys, and interviews. Also
called primary data.
 PRIMARY SOURCES

 The chief characteristics of primary sources are:

(1) being present during the experience, event or
time and (2) consequently being close in time with
the data.
 PRIMARY SOURCES
 Use primary sources when you want to make claims or criticisms, as
evidence for theories, or to gain timely perspectives on a topic.

 EXAMPLES
 General examples: Letters, diaries, speeches, interviews, correspondence
 History: Transcript of speech given by Queen Elizabeth I; newsreel
footage of World War II
 PRIMARY SOURCES
 Literature: Fiction such as Miguel de Cervantes' novel, Don Quixote; Franz Kafka's short story,The
Metamorphosis, or poetry by Robert Frost.

 Art:Works by artists such as Pablo Picasso's painting,Three Musicians; or Michelangelo's sculpture,

David

 Social Sciences: Interview transcripts of mentally ill patients; raw, analyzed population data; newspaper
articles about events.

 Natural Sciences:Analyzed results from biological study; analyzed field data collected by environmental
org; original experiments or research.

 Examples: court cases, newspaper articles about current events.

 METHODS OF COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA

 "If the information you need is unavailable or hasn't yet been

gathered, you'll have to gather it yourself. Four basic methods of
collecting primary data are field research, content analysis,
survey research, and experiments. Other methods of gathering
primary data include historical research, analysis of existing
statistics, . . . and various forms of direct observation." (H. Dan
O'Hair et al. Business Communication: A Framework for
Success. South-Western, 2001)
 METHODS OF COLLECTING PRIMARY DATA

 Primary data is collected in the course of

doing experimental or descriptive research by
doing experiments, performing surveys or by
observations or direct communication with
respondents.
 SECONDARY SOURCES

 Secondary sources build off of primary

sources with more extensive and in-depth
analyses. They summarize, evaluate, and
analytically interpret primary material, often
by offering a personal perspective.
 SECONDARY SOURCES
 While these are useful to check what other
experts in the field have to say, they are not
evidence. It is one step removed from the original
or primary source. Because secondary sources
are published works, they will list their sources of
information which can be used to locate
additional information for your research.
 SECONDARY SOURCES
 Use secondary sources to see what others
have discussed. They can be a good place to
gather background information on a topic. You
can also use secondary sources to explore
what subtopics have already been explored on
a given topic.
 SECONDARY SOURCES
 EXAMPLES:
 General examples: Textbooks, books, encyclopedias, analysis,
review articles, dissertations, thesis,
 History: Article analyzing Queen Elizabeth I's speech; book
recounting battle history of World War II; biographies
 Literature: Literary critiques such as an article that
examines Cervantes' writing style; paper discussing motifs in
The Metamorphosis
 SECONDARY SOURCES
 Art: Lecture given about Michelangelo's techniques;
Criticism or review of Picasso's painting
 Social Sciences: News commentaries; Article analyzing
results of mental illness study; book that discusses
population trends over time; evaluations of social and
government policy, law and legislation.
 Natural Sciences: Review articles that evaluates the theories
and works of others; article on the environmental impact of
pollution
 COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA

 A researcher can obtain secondary data from

various resources that can be either published
or unpublished.
COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA
Examples:
a. Publications of government
b. technical and trade journals
c. reports of various businesses and banks
d. public records, historical documents
 COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA

Before using secondary data, it must be

checked for the ff characteristics:
a. Reliability -who collected? From what
source? Time? Accuracy?
 COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA

b. Suitability of Data – the object, scope, and

nature of the original inquiry must be
studied and then scrutinize the data for
suitability.
 COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA

c. Adequacy – the level of accuracy should

be adequate; if it is related to an area which
may be either narrower or wider than the
area of the present inquiry.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC