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HIST 1301 & 1302 - United States History I & II - VanSandt: Independent Research Project: Secondary Sources Defined

This LibGuide is for Prof. VanSandt's HIST 1301 & 1302 class

What is a Secondary Source?

WHAT IS A SECONDARY SOURCE?

A source that comments on or analyzes something, not written by someone directly involved.

Examples:

  • Analysis
  • Biographies
  • Criticism, such as Literary Criticism
  • Essays
  • Histories (not written by eye witness)
  • Manuals
  • Reviews
  • Textbooks

Secondary sources are often based on studying primary ones. Student research papers are secondary sources.

You can often find excerpts of primary sources within secondary ones, such as a long quotation in a biography.

Example of a Secondary Source

Biography of Helen Keller

A biography of Helen Keller.


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