A Primary source is a term used in many disciplines of study. In history, it is a document, recording or other source of information that was created at roughly the time being studied by an authoritative source, usually one with direct personal knowledge of the events being described. A primary source could be a first- handed source from the past including diaries or artifacts. Primary sources have been described as those sources closest to the origian of the information or idea under study. They have been said to provide researchers with “direct, unmediated information about the object of study.
Secondary sources often cite, comment on, or build upon primary sources. They serve as an original source of information or new ideas about the topic. They are however both relative terms and any source may be classified as primary or secondary depending on how it is being used. Secondary sources often involve generalization, analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original information. Secondary sources include textbooks, encyclopedias, biographies and web sites.
(This has been taken and modified from www.thefreedictionary.com)
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