Article analyzing the global impact of the band
Caption: Fugazi Playing the Anthrax Club, Joe Snow Punk Rock Collection. Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Library. Caption: Dunn, K. (2008). Never mind the bollocks: The punk rock politics of global communication. Review of International Studies, 34(S1), 193-210.
Identifying Primary and Secondary Sources for Humanities
Test your ability to identify items as primary or secondary sources in this quick, interactive exercise!
Secondary sources can include:
*Some of the above material is used with permission from the University of Pittsburgh Library's research guide on Primary Sources
The Standard Definition
In historical writing, a primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. Some types of primary sources include: * ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records * CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art * RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings Examples of primary sources include: * Diary of Anne Frank - Experiences of a Jewish family during WWII * The Constitution of Canada - Canadian History * A journal article reporting NEW research or findings * Weavings and pottery - Native American history * Plato's Republic - Women in Ancient Greece What is a secondary source? A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them. Some types of seconday sources include: * PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks, magazine articles, histories, criticisms, commentaries, encyclopedias Examples of secondary sources include: * A journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews previous findings * A history textbook * A book about the effects of WWI Search by keyword for Primary Sources in the Main Catalog You can search the Main Catalog to find direct references to primary source material. Perform a keyword search for your topic and add one of the words below: (these are several examples of words that would identify a source as primary) * charters * correspondence * diaries * early works * interviews * manuscripts * oratory * pamphlets * personal narratives * sources * speeches * letters * documents
Another Possible Usage
PRIMARY SOURCE (more frequently PRIMARY TEXT) is sometimes used in a different sense in some types of classes. In a literature class, for example, the primary source might be a novel about which you are writing, and secondary sources those sources also writing about that novel (i.e., literary criticism). However, if you were writing about the literary criticism itself and making an argument about literary theory and the practice of literary criticism, some would use the term PRIMARY SOURCE to refer to the criticism about which you are writing, and secondary sources other sources also making theoretical arguments about the practice of literary criticism. In this second sense of primary source, whatever you are primarily writing ABOUT becomes the primary source, and secondary sources are those sources also writing about that source. Often this will be called the PRIMARY TEXT, but some people do use primary source with this meaning.
Tertiary Sources
Just so you can keep up with all the scholarly jargon about sources, a tertiary source is a source that builds upon secondary sources to provide information. The most common example is an encyclopedia. Consider a particular revolution as an historical event. All the documents from the time become primary sources. All the historians writing later produce secondary sources. Then someone reads those secondary sources and summarizes them in an encyclopedia article, which becomes a tertiary source. If someone then collected a bibliography of encyclopedia articles on the topic, that might be a quarternary source, but at that point the whole thing just becomes silly.
If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her and . . . If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net), and, . . If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and . . . If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and . . . If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement, then . . .
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FROM: Kapoun, Jim. "Teaching undergrads WEB evaluation: A guide for library instruction." C&RL News (July/August 1998): 522-523.
Is a biography a primary source? Good question.
When writing for an audience, adding relevant quotes, excerpts, and data provides credibility to your work. Primary sources reign supreme because information that comes from the original source leaves little room for error. In our digital age, where so much information is repeated from website to website, it’s easy for data to be mistyped, quotes to be misattributed, and information to just be wrong.
It’s similar to the group game, Telephone, that kids play. One person starts the game by whispering a phrase into the person’s ear next to them. The phrase is repeated until it gets to the last person who says the phrase out loud to see if the message changed. When I played it as a little girl, the phrase hardly ever came out like the original. We run the same risk when we copy statistics or information from random websites that aren’t the primary or original source.
In the first half of this article, we’ll answer the question, “Is a biography a primary source?” define what the answer means, and then take a closer look at why biographies are categorized as such. In the second part, we’ll look at what to consider before writing one.
Is a biography a primary source.
The short answer is no. In most cases, a biography is considered a secondary source; however, there’s a little more to it than that.
A primary source is a first-person account (e.g., direct quote, diary entry) or the original source of information (e.g., a research organization that creates original data for an industry.).
A secondary source is a third-party account where the person or company sharing the information, got it from somewhere else. As I mentioned in the Telephone example, the problem with secondary sources is that since they aren’t the first hands to touch the information, there’s no guarantee that it’s correct. Primary sources aren’t always available, but if you have a choice between the two, do the extra research to find the primary source. It will pay off in the long run.
A biography is a third-person account of another person’s life written by a biographer whose name appears on the cover. The subject of the biography can be living or deceased and the work can be authorized or unauthorized. For these reasons, biographies are classified as secondary sources.
Related: Biography vs Memoir
The rare occasion when a biography can be used as a primary source is when the biographer is the subject of the content being written.
For example, if one were to write an article that analyzed the works of the American biographer Jean Strouse, her best biographies , Alice James: A Biography or Morgan: American Financier would be considered primary sources.
The source status of her biographies changes from secondary to primary because it is her writing that’s being analyzed not the personal knowledge of what she wrote (unless that was part of the review).
With an authorized biography, the subject of the work is either involved in the writing process or they’ve given permission for the biographer to write the book. The biographer works with the person to ensure that the information included is correct and approved. This can include talking to close family members and friends to get a more well-rounded, objective view of the person’s life.
Unauthorized biographies are not approved by the subject. Anyone can write an unauthorized biography about anyone they’d like. You don’t need permission, and the final book doesn’t have to be approved to be published; however, unauthorized biographies can be seen as less reliable than approved ones. Content presented as fact may come into question exposing the work to libel, invasion of privacy claims, and other legal issues. To be clear, biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs can all be vulnerable to legal claims, so tread lightly when writing them.
According to the Writer’s GPS: A guide for navigating the legal landscape of publishing by intellectual property attorney Matt Knight, securing life story rights is key to protecting yourself and your book from legal claims. Regarding life story rights, he says the following:
Life story rights are a collection of legal rights held by an individual regarding a story about someone’s life. The purpose for securing these rights or the permission to use the facts of someone’s life is to protect the writer and publisher from being sued for defamation, invasion of privacy, or the misappropriation of the right to publicity. Life story rights agreements, depending on the breadth of the contract language, allows the writer to use and potentially change or dramatize the life story for entertainment purposes (whether in print or on screen). Knight, M. (2020). The Writer’s Legal GPS: A Guide for Navigating the Legal Landscape of Publishing (A Sidebar Saturdays Desktop Reference) . Sidebar Saturdays Desk Referen.
If you’re considering writing a biography (authorized or unauthorized), it’s important to understand potential liability issues and how they can impact you as the writer.
It’s interesting that for every authorized biography, it is not uncommon to find many unauthorized ones. For actress Elizabeth Taylor, the book on the left (below) was released in December 2022 and listed as “ the first ever authorized biography of the most famous movie star of the twentieth century, Elizabeth Taylor “; however, I found many biographies listed for her over the years (I stopped counting at 20).
No. If you write a biography about yourself it is called an autobiography (different from a memoir). If you get a ghostwriter to write it, it is still an autobiography. Autobiographies are primary sources because they are first-hand accounts based on the subjects’ memories and recall of past experiences.
Unlike a biography, the subject of the autobiography is viewed as the author , whether they wrote it or used a ghostwriter . Autobiographies are considered subjective compared to biographies since they are a single person’s account of events (not friends, family, or other third-party references like with a biography.)
As previously mentioned, if you can get permission to write the biography, do so. If the person is deceased, look for a representative, like a family member, or an executor of their estate. It’s important to share with them your plan for writing the person’s life story and hopefully get the green light to move forward. Getting approval can open the door to accessing archives and other personal details about the person to create a more in-depth work. This can include personal photos, diaries, and other information. Compare this to an unauthorized biography where you may only have access to what has already been talked about or uncovered.
If the person passed a long time ago, getting permission might be a challenge, but you can still write the biography. Just do your research, save your notes, and try to write a biography that is thorough, objective, and professional. Prioritize primary sources over secondary and cite all of your sources to add credibility. It may be tempting to try to rush through the process, especially when you’ve been staring at the same information day after day, but doing a thorough job can pay big dividends.
In the writing of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Trajedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer , it took author, Martin J. Sherwin, 25 years to complete the work. The first 20 years were spent doing interviews and collecting over fifty boxes of archives (some received through the Freedom of Information Act). The last five years he partnered with author Kai Bird to complete the work . While it doesn’t take every biographer that long to write a biography, it does add a weighty perspective to what writing an in-depth book about someone’s life could entail.
Whether you write an authorized or unauthorized biography, the quality and objectivity of your writing are what matter most. Although biographies are considered secondary sources, it doesn’t mean that they can’t make a significant contribution to the tapestry of a person’s public life record.
Seek out the permission of the person you want to write about if they are living or their family or representative if they are incapacitated or deceased. People’s life stories are personal, so the best advice from one writer to another is to write their stories with the same respect you’d want someone to write yours. This will add a strong entry to your book portfolio, save you a lot of headaches in the long run, and help keep you out of a courtroom.
Note: In this article, we touched on nonfiction life stories, but there are also biographical novels (fictitious) and autobiographical fiction that are not within the scope of this article. For more information on creative nonfiction, start here .
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A secondary source is one that was created later by someone that did not experience firsthand or participate in the events in which the author is writing about. Secondary sources often summarize, interpret, analyze or comment on information found in primary sources.
Common examples of secondary sources include:
Academic Discipline | Primary Source | Secondary Source |
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Science (Biology, Chemistry, etc.) | A research study that contains materials, methods, and results section describing an experiment performed by the author(s) | An article commenting on the results of an original study |
History | Slave narrative | Book about the underground railroad |
Nursing | A quantitative or qualitative study that contains a materials, methods and results section describing an experiment performed by the author(s) | A review article that summarizes what is known about a topic |
Psychology | Patient interview tape | Biography of Sigmund Freud |
Business | NASDAQ stock quote | Historical stock analysis |
Political Science | US Census statistics | Book about urban population changes in the US |
English | Poem | Criticism of the poem |
Scroll to find the Learn to and Resources boxes
Use a biography when you are looking for facts and accounts about notable people. An autobiography is a biography in which the author writes about his or her own life. Many biographies focus on one person.Some are collective biographies which have information about multiple people. Some collective biographies are subject specific, like a book or series about famous scientists or one about actors.
When do I use a biography? Use a biography when you need the following:
Where do I find a biography? Look for a biography in the reference or nonfiction sections of your library. Often the books have a call number of 921, 920 (collective), B or Bio, or the number associated with what the individual is noted for (e. g., athletes in 796 or mathematicians in 510). Use your library's online catalog to find the call number by using the person's name in a subject search. Or, enter the topic you are interested in, like athletes or mathematician s, and adding biography as a keyword.
How is a biography organized? Biographies can be arranged in a variety of ways. Some cover a person's entire life, and others focus on a significant contribution or event. In the case of collective biographies, a chapter or section will often focus on one individual.
How do I use a print biography? Think about what information you need. Use the table of contents to see how the book is arranged, and use the index to locate the specific pieces of information you need. In a collective biography, the index will list names of individuals and also related topics and events.
The index will be in alphabetical order by main headings (usually in bold print) and subheadings (usually indented):
Example: From the index of this collective biography, about famous athletes, you can see subjects like rollerblading, individuals like Pete Rose, and events like the Rose Bowl. This biography is a multi-volume set. The first number for an entry indicates the volume number of the book. The number after the colon indicates the page numbers where the information is located. For example, to read about the Rose Bowl, find volume 3 and turn to page 1206. |
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How do I use an online biography? Your public or school library might have eBook biographies about the person you are studying. Check the online catalogs or databases. Also, there are websites dedicated to biographical information, like Biography.com and History.com. Browse by topics or use the website's, eBook's, or database's search features. Or, use a search engine to search the Internet for information about your subject.
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Primary sources, secondary sources, tertiary sources, primary and secondary sources in law.
This guide will introduce students to three types of resources or sources of information: primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Primary sources are firsthand documents that provide direct evidence on your topic. The Library of Congress refers to them as the "raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience."
A primary source is most often created during the time the events you are studying occurred, such as newspaper articles from the period, correspondence, diplomatic records, original research reports and notes, diaries etc. They may also include items created after the events occurred, but that recount them such as autobiographies and oral histories.
Original Documents | Creative Works | Relics and Artifacts |
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Diaries | Art works | Pottery |
Speeches | Novels | Decorative arts |
Correspondence | Poetry | Clothing |
Interviews | Music | Buildings |
Manuscripts | Architectural drawings/plans | Textiles |
Government Documents | Photographs | Needlework |
News film footage | Film | |
Archival Materials | ||
Autobiographies |
Secondary Sources are accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources. Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence. ¹
¹ Yale University Library, "Primary, secondary & tertiary sources" http://guides.library.yale.edu/content.php?pid=129904&sid=1196376
Secondary Sources |
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Bibliographies |
Biographical works |
Commentaries, criticisms |
Conference proceedings |
Essays or reviews |
Histories |
Literary criticism such as journal articles |
Magazine and newspaper articles |
Monographs, other than fiction and autobiographies |
Reprints of art works |
Textbooks (could also be considered tertiary) |
Websites (could also be considered primary) |
A tertiary source presents summaries or condensed versions of materials, usually with references back to the primary and/or secondary sources.
Tertiary Sources |
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Almanacs |
Abstracts |
Dictionaries |
Encyclopedias |
Handbooks |
A statement of the law itself from a governmental entity, such as a court, legislature, executive agency, President or Governor.
Materials that discuss, explain, interpret, and analyze what the law is or what it should be.
Primary Sources in law | Secondary Sources in law |
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Code of Federal Regulations | Articles about law |
Contracts, wills, other legal documents | Books about law |
Court decisions | Law reference books |
Federal Registrar | Law reveiws |
US Code | Legal news |
Text of legislative bills |
What is a primary source?
Primary sources provide the raw data you use to support your arguments. Some common types of primary resources include manuscripts, diaries, court cases, maps, data sets, experiment results, news stories, polls, or original research. In many cases what makes a primary resource is contextual. For example, a biography about Abraham Lincoln is a secondary resource about Lincoln. However, if examined as a piece of evidence about the nature of biographical writing, or as an example of the biographer's writing method it becomes a primary resource.
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Anthropology, Archeology | Articles describing research, ethnographies, surveys, cultural and historical artifacts |
Communications, Journalism | News (printed, radio, TV, online), photographs, blogs, social media sites |
Education, Political Science, Public Policy | Government publications, laws, court cases, speeches, test results, interviews, polls, surveys |
Fine Arts | Original art work, photographs, recordings of performances and music, scripts (film, theater, television), music scores, interviews, memoirs, diaries, letters |
History | Government publications, newspapers, photographs, diaries, letters, manuscripts, business records, court cases, videos, polls, census data, speeches |
Language and Literature | Novels, plays, short stories, poems, dictionaries, language manuals |
Psychology, Sociology, Economics | Articles describing research, experiment results, ethnographies, interviews, surveys, data sets |
Sciences | Articles describing research and methodologies, documentation of lab research, research studies |
What is a secondary source?
Secondary sources analyze primary sources, using primary source materials to answer research questions. Secondary sources may analyze, criticize, interpret or summarize data from primary sources. The most common secondary resources are books, journal articles, or reviews of the literature. Secondary sources may also be primary sources. For example if someone studies the nature of literary criticism in the 19th century then a literary critique from the 19th century becomes a primary resource.
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Anthropology, Archeology | Reviews of the literature, critical interpretations of scholarly studies |
Communications, Journalism | Interpretive journal articles, books and blogs about the communications industry. |
Education, Political Science, Public Policy | Reviews of the literature, critical interpretations of scholarly studies |
Fine Arts | Critical interpretations of art and artists—biographies, reviews, recordings of live performances |
History | Interpretive journal articles and books |
Language and Literature | Literary criticism, biographies, reviews, text books |
Psychology, Sociology, Economics | Reviews of the literature, critical interpretations of scholarly studies |
Sciences | Publications about the significance of research or experiments |
Secondary sources.
Periodical indexes for general historical secondary sources are listed in Library Research Guide for History .
Bibliographies of Secondary Books and Articles
Look for specialized subject bibliographies in HOLLIS or WorldCat : Search <"science and society" [Keyword search] and bibliography [Subject Keyword search]> on Expanded Search screen in HOLLIS Classic or the Advanced search screen in HOLLIS or WorldCat. Examples of secondary source bibliographies .
Periodical Indexes
Book Reviews
Other Indexes
History of Science, Technology and Medicine [HSTM], 1975- .
Includes books, book chapters, and journal articles. Includes medicine and social science as well as science and technology. Electronic equivalent of four printed indexes:
Since HSTM is an amalgamation of four separate indexes with four different subject term systems, study the results of keyword searches to be sure that you know the proper subject terms for your topic in each of the, possibly four, relevant component databases. For example, the Wellcome Bibliography uses "Contraception" but the Isis Current Bibliography uses "Birth control".
Limiting by Time Period
Note the different terms used by these three indexes: Isis Current Bibliography of the History of Science and its Cultural Influences : Pre-history, Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance (15th and 16th), 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century Current Bibliography in the History of Technology: Prehistory, Antiquity, Middle Ages, Renaissance, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century Wellcome Bibliography of the History of Medicine : Ancient, Greek and Roman, Medieval, 13th century , 14th century , 15th century , 16th century, 17th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th century
Searching for literature published before 1975 (pre-HSTM)
ISISCB Bibliographic Resources in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine indexes the Isis Current Bibliography. Search results extend back to 1970. It also offers a browse of the Isis Cumulative Bibliographies (1913-1975). Search ISISCB Explore
Isis (1913-1996), together with the Critical Bibliography, is available in JSTOR . You can search just the Critical Bibliography:
Note that a single Critical Bibliography is searched as a unit. Thus, the search <Darwin and finches> will return all Critical Bibliographies containing these two words, but not necessarily within the same citation. To find book reviews, enter the book title as a phrase.
Title changed from Critical Bibliography to Current Bibliography in 1989 (v. 80).
Earlier material may also be found in the printed versions
Isis Current Bibliography of the History of Science and its Cultural Influences , 1913- (Formerly the Isis Critical Bibliography ) offers annual sparsely annotated bibliographies of current works which accompany each volume of Isis . Book reviews are listed at the end of each issue. HOLLIS Record
Cumulated in the ISIS cumulative bibliography; a bibliography of the history of science formed from ISIS critical bibliographies , 1913-95. 14 v. In the 1913-1965 series, citations for books include reviews; in later series, books reviews are at the back of the last volume. HOLLIS Records
Current Bibliography in the History of Technology , 1964- (Annual in the journal Technology and culture , after 1990 published separately)
Technology and culture , 1964-89 LOCATION: History of Science: PerT 40 LOCATION: Widener: Sci 120.159 Bibliography continued by: Current Bibliography in the History of Technology , 1990- . LOCATION: History of Science LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC T15.Z99 T43x Book reviews are noted in the record for the book reviewed both in print and HSTM.
For earlier literature see: Eugene S. Ferguson's Bibliography of the history of technology . 1968. HOLLIS Record Internet Archive Full Text
Wellcome Bibliography of the History of Medicine (formerly Current Work in the History of Medicine ). London: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, 1954-2004. Section on biographies (including obituaries), no. 150 (Ap/June, 1991)- . Obituaries were separated from Biographies and given their own heading "Recent Obituaries" in no. 158 (Ap/June, 1993). Includes obituaries of physicians from the Times . Some material continues to be added to the Wellcome Library catalogue. Some issues still available online (2000-2004). LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Abst & Ind ZWZ 40 C8 LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Rare Books Serial LOCATION: History of Science: Per C 60
Cumulated in: Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine and Related Sciences. 1979-80. Subject Catalogue of the History of Medicine. 18 v. [5 biographical v., 4 topographical v., 9 subject v.] LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Rare Books f Z6207.M4 W45
Bibliografia italiana di storia della scienza , 1982- . LOCATION: History of Science LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC Q125.Z99 B53x -- Bucciantini , M., F. Guidi & A. Lenzi . 1995. The database of the Italian Bibliography of the History of Science. Nuncius , v. 10, pp. 331-343.
PubMed (1947- ) is the National Library of Medicine's index to biomedical journal articles.
Books, book chapters, and dissertations formerly searched in HISTLINE are now in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) online catalog . To limit to historical sources: Under Publication Types, scroll to More Publication Types, and choose Historical Articles. This retrieves books and other material as well as articles.
For earlier literature see: Bibliography of the history of medicine of the United States and Canada, 1939-1960 , by Genevieve Miller, which cumulates the serial bibliography published in the Bulletin of the history of medicine , which carried on through the commencement of the Bibliography of the history of medicine in 1965. LOCATION: Countway Medicine: ZWZ 70 M5b 1964 LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Rare Books Z6661.U6 M14 1964 LOCATION: History of Science: LOCATION: Widener: Med 100.116 A bibliography of articles on the history of American medicine compiled from "Writings on American history" 1902-1937 , by Judson B. Gilbert. LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Rare Books Z6661.U6 G3
Coverage of book reviews in HSTM begins (in a small way) in 2000 and becomes substantial in 2002. Enter the phrase "book review" in the title field along with the title of the book: "Sun Kings" and "book review".
General sources include: Academic Search Premier , the Web of Science and Periodicals Index Online (for pre-1995 books). Additional general sources for book reviews . Some of the specialized indexes and bibliographies listed in this guide carry book reviews.
The best specialized source is:
ISIS cumulative bibliography; a bibliography of the history of science formed from ISIS critical bibliographies , 1913-95. 14 v. LOCATION: History of Science: LOCATION: Widener: RR 5002.36 LOCATION: Wolbach Obs (HCO): Ref Biblio. Cat. Q125.Z99 I87 (Incomplete)
In the 1913-1965 series, citations for books include reviews; in later series books reviews are at the back of the last volume.
For post-1995 reviews check the individual issues of the Current Bibliography, shelved with Isis . Book reviews are listed at the end of each issue. LOCATION: Countway Medicine: Serial, 1913- . LOCATION: History of Science: Per I 50, 1913- LOCATION: Lamont: Periodicals, 1913-2001 LOCATION: Widener: Sci 65.55
Citations for book reviews can often be found in the JSTOR version
Numerous historical articles are published in science rather than history of science journals. Many of these do not appear in history of science indexes. To find these, search the scientific indexes listed in the Periodicals/Article section of this guide.
Bibliography (1998- ) published in Public understanding of science lists books, articles, and Internet resources on science, health and technology in public attitudes, educational institutions (especially museums, zoos, etc.), and mass and interactive media. Print version: LOCATION: McKay Applied Sci: Journal (1999- ) LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC Q225.P8
Bibliography of the history of Australian science, 1981- . In: Historical Records of Australian Science . LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC Q93.A879x
Bibliography: Relations of Literature and Science (1880-2001) was published in Configurations (1993-1999) with citations arranged under broad subjects, with author and topic index. Topic index includes period/century access. Print version: LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC PN55.C66x
For the Configurations bibliographies online: for 1989-1990 in vol. 1, issue 2 (Spring 1993) for 1991-1992 in vol. 2, issue 2 (Spring 1994) for 1993 in vol. 3, issue 2 (Spring 1995) for 1994 in vol. 4, issue 2 (Spring 1996) for 1995 in vol. 5, issue 2 (Spring 1997) for 1996 in vol. 6, issue 3 (Fall 1998) for 1997 in vol. 7, issue 3 (Fall 1999) for 1998 in vol. 9, issue 3 (Fall 2000) for 1999 in vol. 9, issue 2 (Spring 2001) for 2001-2004 Previously published in: Publication of the Society for Literature and Science: PSLS , 1984-88. LOCATION: Not held at Harvard or the Boston area The Relations of literature and science: an annotated bibliography of scholarship, 1880-1980 , edited by W. Schatzberg, R. A. Waite, and J. K. Johnson. NY: Modern Language Association of America, 1987, 458 pp. LOCATION: Widener: RR 3003.82
JSTOR allows simultaneous or individual searching, full-text searching optional, of several history of science journals from their inceptions to about 5 years ago. JSTOR provides a list of included history of science & technology journals.
Periodicals index online indexes contents of thousands of journals in the humanities and social sciences, from their first issues to 5 years ago. Covers journals from North America, the UK, and Continental Europe. Includes the complete table of contents for each issue of each journal. Includes book reviews. Indexes the following journals in the history of science:
Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy
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Secondary sources are interpretations and analyses based on primary sources. For example, an autobiography is a primary source while a biography is a secondary source. Typical secondary sources include: Scholarly Journal Articles. Use these and books exclusively for writing Literature Reviews. Magazines. Reports. Encyclopedias. Handbooks ...
In scholarship, a secondary source[ 1][ 2] is a document or recording that relates or discusses information originally presented elsewhere. A secondary source contrasts with a primary, or original, source of the information being discussed. A primary source can be a person with direct knowledge of a situation or it may be a document created by ...
Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. Primary research gives you direct access to the subject of your research. Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews ...
In many cases what makes a primary resource is contextual. For example, a biography about Abraham Lincoln is a secondary resource about Lincoln. However, if examined as a piece of evidence about the nature of biographical writing, or as an example of the biographer's writing method it becomes a primary resource. ... Secondary sources analyze ...
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may contain pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources. Some types of secondary source include: Textbooks; journal articles; histories; criticisms; commentaries; encyclopedias
A primary source is an original material created during the time under study. Primary sources can be original documents, creative works, published materials of the times, institutional and government documents or relics and artifacts. Secondary sources put primary sources in context. They comment, summarize, interpret or analyze information ...
A primary source gives you direct access to the subject of your research. Secondary sources provide second-hand information and commentary from other researchers. Examples include journal articles, reviews, and academic books. A secondary source describes, interprets, or synthesises primary sources. Primary sources are more credible as evidence ...
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. Common examples of a secondary source are: Biographies. Indexes, Abstracts, Bibliographies (used to locate a secondary source)
For more recent sources (post-1975) use History of Science, Technology and Medicine (Harvard login). For new primary works (new editions, etc.) put your person in the author field. For new secondary works, put your person in the Subject field. Dictionary of American medical biography, ed. by M. Kaufman, S. Galishoff & T. L. Savitt. 2 v ...
Secondary sources are books, periodicals, web sites, etc. that people write using the information from primary sources. They are not written by eyewitnesses to events, for instance, but use eyewitness accounts, photographs, diaries and other primary sources to reconstruct events or to support a writer's thesis about the events and their meaning.
Secondary sources are a step removed from primary sources. Essentially, they're sources about primary sources. Secondary sources include: Essays analyzing novels, works of art, and other original creations. Textbook passages discussing specific concepts, events, and experiments. Biographies of historical and famous people.
The same source can be a primary source OR a secondary source, depending on how you are studying it. For example, Stephen Oates' 1977 biography of Abraham Lincoln, With Malice Toward None: A Life Of Abraham Lincoln, could be considered a. Secondary Source, if you are studying the life of Lincoln
Secondary sources, however, can be considered to be primary sources depending on the context of their use. For example, Ken Burns' documentary of the Civil War is a secondary source for Civil War researchers (because it consists of Burns' interpretation of primary source materials from the Civil War), but a primary source for those studying ...
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them. Some types of seconday sources include: * PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks, magazine articles, histories, criticisms, commentaries, encyclopedias ...
What is a secondary source? Secondary sources analyze primary sources, using primary source materials to answer research questions. Secondary sources may analyze, criticize, interpret or summarize data from primary sources. The most common secondary resources are books, journal articles, or reviews of the literature.
The subject of the biography can be living or deceased and the work can be authorized or unauthorized. For these reasons, biographies are classified as secondary sources. Related: Biography vs Memoir. The rare occasion when a biography can be used as a primary source is when the biographer is the subject of the content being written.
American National Biography Online A standard source for U.S. historical biography with over 17,000 individual entries. The ANB Online is fully searchable and includes illustrations, cross-references, and links to external web sites. African-American Biographical Database Includes biographies of thousands of African Americans from 1790-1950.
A secondary source is one that was created later by someone that did not experience firsthand or participate in the events in which the author is writing about. Secondary sources often summarize, interpret, analyze or comment on information found in primary sources. Common examples of secondary sources include: Books. Biographies.
Biographies. Use a biography when you are looking for facts and accounts about notable people. An autobiography is a biography in which the author writes about his or her own life. Many biographies focus on one person.Some are collective biographies which have information about multiple people. Some collective biographies are subject specific ...
The most common examples of secondary sources are books that collect information from various primary sources, including textbooks. Other common examples of secondary sources include biographies (but not autobiographies), art reviews, thesis papers and dissertations, reports that gather data from other studies, and nonpersonal essays.
Conference proceedings. Essays or reviews. Histories. Literary criticism such as journal articles. Magazine and newspaper articles. Monographs, other than fiction and autobiographies. Reprints of art works. Textbooks (could also be considered tertiary) Websites (could also be considered primary)
A secondary source usually provides analysis, commentary, evaluation, context, and interpretation. It is this act of going beyond simple description, and telling us the meaning behind the simple facts, that makes them valuable to Wikipedia. Reputable secondary sources are usually based on more than one primary source.
What is a secondary source? Secondary sources analyze primary sources, using primary source materials to answer research questions. Secondary sources may analyze, criticize, interpret or summarize data from primary sources. The most common secondary resources are books, journal articles, or reviews of the literature.
Periodical indexes for general historical secondary sources are listed in Library Research Guide for History.. Bibliographies of Secondary Books and Articles. Look for specialized subject bibliographies in HOLLIS or WorldCat: Search <"science and society" [Keyword search] and bibliography [Subject Keyword search]> on Expanded Search screen in HOLLIS Classic or the Advanced search screen in ...