Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources of Information

An information 'source' can be categorised by the type of information it contains. Sources are usually classified as either primary, secondary or tertiary.

Primary Sources:

original ideas and research

Secondary Sources:

analysis, discussion or interpretation of original ideas and research

Tertiary Sources:

significant knowledge is combined, condensed and summmarised

Examples:
Research articles, research reports, diaries, letters, performance recordings, standards, legislation

Examples:
Review articles, specialist texts, textbooks, newspaper articles

Examples:
Encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, bibliographies

Note: Journal indexes are also classed as tertiary sources

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Source:
The College Student's Research Companion, Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York.

Zikmund, WG 2003, Business Research Methods, Thomson South-Western, Mason, Ohio.