secondary source biography

Primary vs. Secondary Sources: Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Primary sources.

Primary sources are materials that are eyewitness accounts or as close to the original source as possible.

Qualitative data:

• What people say. They are usually Speeches , Interviews and Conversations, and they may be captured in Videos, Audio Recordings, or transcribed into text.
• What people write.  These include Autobiographies, Memoirs, Personal Journals and Diaries, Letters, Emails, Blogs, Twitter Feeds and other forms of Social Media.
• Images and Videos.
• Government Documents-- U.S . and rest of the world.
• Laws, Court Cases and Decisions, Treaties.
• Newspapers.

Quantitative data:

• Statistics and Data .
• Polls and Public Opinions .

Please note that a book is simply a format.  You can find both primary and secondary sources published in book form.

Secondary Sources

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.
• Encyclopedias.
• Dictionaries.
• Documentaries.

Please note that a book is simply a format.  You can find primary and secondary sources published in book form.

When Secondary Sources Become Primary Sources

Often secondary and primary sources are relative concepts.  Typical secondary sources may be primary sources depending on the research topic.

• Intellectual history topics. For example, although scholarly journal articles are usually considered secondary sources, if one's topic is the history of human rights, then journal articles on human rights will be primary sources in this instance.  Similarly, research on the thinking of a scholar will include her published journal articles as primary sources.  
• Historical topics. Magazine articles are secondary sources, but for someone researching the view of judicial punishment in the 1920s, magazines from that time period are primary sources.  Indeed, any older publication, such as those prior to the 20th century, is very often automatically considered a primary source.  
• Newspapers may be either primary or secondary. Most articles in newspapers are secondary, but reporters may be considered as witnesses to an event.  Any topic on the media coverage of an event or phenomenon would treat newspapers as a primary source.  There are so many articles and types of articles in newspapers that newspapers can often be considered either primary or secondary.
• Last Updated: Aug 11, 2023 3:44 PM
• URL: https://subjectguides.library.american.edu/primary

Have a thesis expert improve your writing

Check your thesis for plagiarism in 10 minutes, generate your apa citations for free.

• Knowledge Base
• Working with sources
• Primary vs. Secondary Sources | Difference & Examples

Primary vs. Secondary Sources | Difference & Examples

Published on 4 September 2022 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on 15 May 2023.

When you do research, you have to gather information and evidence from a variety of sources.

Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. 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, but good research uses both primary and secondary sources.

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Be assured that you'll submit flawless writing. Upload your document to correct all your mistakes.

Table of contents

What is a primary source, what is a secondary source, primary and secondary source examples, how to tell if a source is primary or secondary, primary vs secondary sources: which is better, frequently asked questions about primary and secondary sources.

A primary source is anything that gives you direct evidence about the people, events, or phenomena that you are researching. Primary sources will usually be the main objects of your analysis.

If you are researching the past, you cannot directly access it yourself, so you need primary sources that were produced at the time by participants or witnesses (e.g. letters, photographs, newspapers ).

If you are researching something current, your primary sources can either be qualitative or quantitative data that you collect yourself (e.g. through interviews, surveys, experiments) or sources produced by people directly involved in the topic (e.g. official documents or media texts).

The only proofreading tool specialized in correcting academic writing

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts and by native English editors. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students.

Correct my document today

A secondary source is anything that describes, interprets, evaluates, or analyses information from primary sources. Common examples include:

• Books , articles and documentaries that synthesise information on a topic
• Synopses and descriptions of artistic works
• Encyclopaedias and textbooks that summarize information and ideas
• Reviews and essays that evaluate or interpret something

When you cite a secondary source, it’s usually not to analyse it directly. Instead, you’ll probably test its arguments against new evidence or use its ideas to help formulate your own.

Examples of sources that can be primary or secondary

A secondary source can become a primary source depending on your research question . If the person, context, or technique that produced the source is the main focus of your research, it becomes a primary source.

To determine if something can be used as a primary or secondary source in your research, there are some simple questions you can ask yourself:

• Does this source come from someone directly involved in the events I’m studying (primary) or from another researcher (secondary)?
• Am I interested in analysing the source itself (primary) or only using it for background information (secondary)?
• Does the source provide original information (primary) or does it comment upon information from other sources (secondary)?

Most research uses both primary and secondary sources. They complement each other to help you build a convincing argument. Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but secondary sources show how your work relates to existing research.

What do you use primary sources for?

Primary sources are the foundation of original research. They allow you to:

• Make new discoveries
• Provide credible evidence for your arguments
• Give authoritative information about your topic

If you don’t use any primary sources, your research may be considered unoriginal or unreliable.

What do you use secondary sources for?

Secondary sources are good for gaining a full overview of your topic and understanding how other researchers have approached it. They often synthesise a large number of primary sources that would be difficult and time-consuming to gather by yourself. They allow you to:

• Gain background information on the topic
• Support or contrast your arguments with other researchers’ ideas
• Gather information from primary sources that you can’t access directly (e.g. private letters or physical documents located elsewhere)

When you conduct a literature review , you can consult secondary sources to gain a thorough overview of your topic. If you want to mention a paper or study that you find cited in a secondary source, seek out the original source and cite it directly.

Remember that all primary and secondary sources must be cited to avoid plagiarism . You can use Scribbr’s free citation generator to do so!

Common examples of primary sources include interview transcripts , photographs, novels, paintings, films, historical documents, and official statistics.

Anything you directly analyze or use as first-hand evidence can be a primary source, including qualitative or quantitative data that you collected yourself.

Common examples of secondary sources include academic books, journal articles , reviews, essays , and textbooks.

Anything that summarizes, evaluates or interprets primary sources can be a secondary source. If a source gives you an overview of background information or presents another researcher’s ideas on your topic, it is probably a secondary source.

To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself:

• Was the source created by someone directly involved in the events you’re studying (primary), or by another researcher (secondary)?
• Does the source provide original information (primary), or does it summarize information from other sources (secondary)?
• Are you directly analyzing the source itself (primary), or only using it for background information (secondary)?

Some types of sources are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. letters, interviews ). If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source.

Primary sources are often considered the most credible in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching. However, it’s up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate.

Always make sure to properly cite your sources to avoid plagiarism .

A fictional movie is usually a primary source. A documentary can be either primary or secondary depending on the context.

If you are directly analysing some aspect of the movie itself – for example, the cinematography, narrative techniques, or social context – the movie is a primary source.

If you use the movie for background information or analysis about your topic – for example, to learn about a historical event or a scientific discovery – the movie is a secondary source.

Whether it’s primary or secondary, always properly cite the movie in the citation style you are using. Learn how to create an MLA movie citation or an APA movie citation .

Articles in newspapers and magazines can be primary or secondary depending on the focus of your research.

In historical studies, old articles are used as primary sources that give direct evidence about the time period. In social and communication studies, articles are used as primary sources to analyse language and social relations (for example, by conducting content analysis or discourse analysis ).

If you are not analysing the article itself, but only using it for background information or facts about your topic, then the article is a secondary source.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Streefkerk, R. (2023, May 15). Primary vs. Secondary Sources | Difference & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 14 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/working-sources/primary-vs-secondary-sources/

Is this article helpful?

Raimo Streefkerk

Other students also liked, tertiary sources explained | quick guide & examples, types of sources explained | examples & tips, how to find sources | scholarly articles, books, etc..

• UConn Library
• Research Now
• Explore Information
• Primary & Secondary Sources - Humanities & Social Sciences

Explore Information — Primary & Secondary Sources - Humanities & Social Sciences

• Getting the Lay of the Land
• Why use Library Information?
• The Information Lifecycle
• Primary & Secondary Sources - Sciences
• Understanding & Recognizing Peer Review
• Help & Other Resources
• Research Now Homepage

Primary & Secondary Sources in the Humanities - Overview

Primary and Secondary Sources are understood in different ways by different subject areas. When you think about primary and secondary sources in your own life, those examples are probably most similar to the way the Humanities and Social Sciences generally understand primary and secondary sources.  See the guide What is a Primary Source for a concise overview.

Primary Sources

Primary sources are original materials on which research is based. They present information in its original form, neither interpreted nor condensed nor evaluated by other writers.  In the humanities and social sciences, these are the direct or first-hand evidence of events, objects, people, or works of art. 

Depending upon the context, primary sources can include items such as original artwork, manuscripts, sales receipts, speeches, e-mails,  photos, diaries, personal letters, spoken stories/tales/interviews, diplomatic records.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources provide commentary upon, interpretation of, or analysis of primary sources.  They put primary sources in context.  Because they are often written significantly after events by parties not directly involved but who have special expertise, they may provide historical context or critical perspectives.

Secondary sources can include items such as scholarly books; articles in newspapers, scholarly journals, and magazines; movie reviews; biographies.

Finding Primary Sources

• Using Library Search (Catalog) to Find Primary Sources

There are lots of places to start searching for primary sources in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Below are some places to start your search.

Library Search

Library Search finds items in the UConn Library Collection, including archival materials, print materials with original text, printed facsimiles, and online resources that link to digital facsimiles. 

For help finding primary sources using Library Search, see the Using the Library Search (Catalog) to Find Primary Sources tab.

Archives & Special Collections holds over 1000 collections of archival materials and primary sources. Primary sources from cultural institutions around the state of Connecticut can also be found in the Connecticut Digital Archive .

Research Guides

Library Subject Specialists create Research Guides that provide information and instruction on research within specific subjects.  Each guide varies, and may include primary source databases and other helpful resources in that field.  For additional help finding primary sources in a subject, contact the subject specialist profiled in the specific research guide.

Selected Primary Source Library Databases and Websites

• Historical Newspapers from ProQuest Search for historical articles in a variety of major American and international newspapers published between 1764-2019. See more info for complete list of newspapers included. more... less... Includes: Arizona Republican (1870-2007)*, Atlantic Constitution (1868-1984), Atlanta Daily World (1931-2010), Baltimore Afro-American (1893-2010), Baltimore Sun (1837-1997)*, Boston Globe (1872-1991), Chicago Defender (1909-2010), Chicago Tribune (1849-2013), Chinese Newspapers Collection (1832-1953), Christian Science Monitor (1908-2009)*, Cleveland Call & Post (1934-2010), Detroit Free Press (1831-1999)*, The Globe and Mail (1844-2019)*, The Guardian and the Observer (1791-2003)*, Hartford Courant (1764-1997), Irish Times and the Weekly Irish Times (1859-2021)*, Jerusalem Post (1932-2008)*, Jewish Advocate (1905-1990)*, Korea Times (1956-2016)*, Leftist Newspapers and Periodicals (1845-2015)*, Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2010), Los Angeles Times (1881-1999), Louisville Defender (1951-2010), Michigan Chronicle (1939-2010), Minneapolis Star Tribune (1867-2001)*, New York Amsterdam News (1922-2010), New York Times (1851-2019), New York Tribune / Herald Times (1841-1962), Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2010), Philadelphia Inquirer (1860-2001)*, Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2010), Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2010), Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (1786-2003)*, The Scotsman (1817-1950), Times of India (1838-2010), Vermont Collection, Wall Street Journal (1889-2011), Washington Post (1877-2007) *=available through June 30, 2024, unlimited users have access to this material. Continued access beyond that date is not guaranteed and is subject to a purchase decision by the UConn Library.
• Manuscript Women's Letters and Diaries Includes personal writings of women of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, displayed as high-quality images of the original manuscripts.
• Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 Includes manuscripts, images, and video content highlighting popular culture from 1950-1975.
• Revolution and Protest Online Includes scholarly books and articles, documentary films and interviews covering revolutions, protests, and social movements from the French Revolution to the Arab Spring.
• Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 Includes books, images, essays, book and website reviews, and other primary sources covering various women's and social movements between 1600-2000.
• Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: A Selection of Primary Sources Select primary source documents related to critical people and events in African American history. Contains approximately 1,600 documents focused on different phases of Black Freedom.
• Connecticut Digital Archives Wide range of digital resources for scholars, students and the general public from UConn, the Connecticut State Library and other Connecticut institutions and agencies in Connecticut.
• Library of Congress Digital Collections 339 digital collections from the Library of Congress; includes photos, manuscripts, audio, film, and more.
• Primary Source Sets (Digital Public Library) Primary source collections exploring topics in history, literature, and culture developed by educators

Library Search finds items in the UConn Library Collection

Search Using Primary Document-Related Terms

Add words that identify types of primary sources. These are often part of the Subject Heading , a search option in Advanced Search.  These terms may include:

In the Advanced Search, type your topic on the 1st line. On the 2nd line, change the Any field drop-down to Subject and use of the the subject headings that specify primary sources.

Search Using Date

Narrow your search to the year of publication to find contemporary materials.

Search Using Author

Search a person's name as an author (changing the Any field drop-down to Author ).  Search by author, not as a subject or keyword, as that will find materials about the person, not works by the person.

Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources

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.

It's All About Context

There is nothing that definitively makes a source "primary" or "secondary" - it's all about the relationship between your research topic and the source material .  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
• Primary Source, if you are studying texts accused of plagiarism

Check Yourself!

Identifying Primary and Secondary Sources for Humanities

Test your ability to identify items as primary or secondary sources in this quick, interactive exercise!

• << Previous: Primary & Secondary Sources
• Next: Primary & Secondary Sources - Sciences >>
• Last Updated: Mar 19, 2024 4:03 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/exploreinfo

Ask Yale Library

My Library Accounts

Find, Request, and Use

Help and Research Support

Visit and Study

Explore Collections

HIST 215J The Art of Biography Research Guide: Background and Secondary Sources

• Collection Materials Used in Class
• Background and Secondary Sources
• Primary Source Databases
• Citing Your Sources

Selected reference works

Background or "reference" sources are a great place to start your research. Reference works include bibliographies, scholarly encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and other sources that provide overviews of topics and suggestions for further reading.

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History

A scholarly encyclopedia of potentially great use in the early stages of your research project. Each article has a discussion of the literature, including primary sources. A great starting point for finding more sources and arranged into browsable subject areas. 

American National Biography Online

Gale in Context: U.S. History

This resource brings together reference articles, along with selected primary and secondary sources for getting started on your research.

Oxford Bibliographies

This is an extensive collection of annotated bibliographies that are keyword searchable and can also be browsed by subject and geographic areas. These bibliographies are a great starting point for finding resources, primary and secondary, for your research topic. 

Oxford Handbooks Online Lengthy chapters in the Oxford Handbooks usually provide helpful overviews of scholarly topics and historical literature, along with suggestions for further reading. A number of the handbooks may be helpful depending on your research topic. 

Wiley Online Library

Includes scholarly journal articles and monographs as well as reference works. Often a single chapter or two within a reference work can provide a helpful starting point for research. Thousands of articles in this reference database touch on topics relating to eugenics.  Titles include A Companion to the Gilded Age and Progressive Era  and  A Companion to Post-1945 America .

Secondary sources

In addition to the online library catalog ( Books+  and  Orbis ), reference sources, and footnotes in sources you've already found (etc.), subject-specific databases are another extremely helpful resource for finding secondary literature, including the latest scholarly journal articles in the field.

• America: History and Life Provides historical coverage of the United States and Canada and indexes over 2000 historical journals. A key resource if you are searching for historical scholarship related to your research project. Among the journals indexed here are the Journal of American History, American Historical Review, and several more that can provide examples of some of the most recent scholarship in the field.
• Historical Abstracts Provides historical coverage of historical journals covering non-U.S./Canada history.
• JSTOR JSTOR provides access to more than 12 million academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in 75 disciplines.
• International Bibliography of the Social Sciences

And, don’t forget,  Orbis,   Books+  and  Articles+  are all useful tools for locating secondary sources!

Guides to Historical Research & Writing

• << Previous: Collection Materials Used in Class
• Next: Primary Source Databases >>
• Last Updated: Feb 14, 2024 1:19 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.yale.edu/hist215j

Site Navigation

P.O. BOX 208240 New Haven, CT 06250-8240 (203) 432-1775

Yale's Libraries

Bass Library

Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Classics Library

Cushing/Whitney Medical Library

Divinity Library

East Asia Library

Gilmore Music Library

Haas Family Arts Library

Lewis Walpole Library

Lillian Goldman Law Library

Marx Science and Social Science Library

Sterling Memorial Library

Yale Center for British Art

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

@YALELIBRARY

Yale Library Instagram

Accessibility       Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion      Giving       Privacy and Data Use      Contact Our Web Team    

© 2022 Yale University Library • All Rights Reserved

• Healey Library
• Research Guides

Primary Sources: A Research Guide

• Primary vs. Secondary
• Historical Newspapers
• Book Collections
• Find Videos
• Open Access
• Local Archives and Archival Societies
• University Archives and Special Collections at UMass Boston

Primary Sources

Texts of laws and other original documents.

Newspaper reports, by reporters who witnessed an event or who quote people who did.

Speeches, diaries, letters and interviews - what the people involved said or wrote.

Original research.

Datasets, survey data, such as census or economic statistics.

Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event.

Secondary Sources

Secondary Sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. They can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis. Secondary sources can include:

Most books about a topic.

Analysis or interpretation of data.

Scholarly or other articles about a topic, especially by people not directly involved.

Documentaries (though they often include photos or video portions that can be considered primary sources).

When is a Primary Source a Secondary Source?

Whether something is a primary or secondary source often depends upon the topic and its use.

A biology textbook would be considered a secondary source if in the field of biology, since it describes and interprets the science but makes no original contribution to it.

On the other hand, if the topic is science education and the history of textbooks, textbooks could be used a primary sources to look at how they have changed over time.

Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources

Adapted from Bowling Green State University, Library User Education, Primary vs. Secondary Sources .

• << Previous: Home
• Next: Find Primary Sources >>
• Last Updated: May 1, 2024 7:22 PM
• URL: https://umb.libguides.com/PrimarySources

HIST 150: History Through Objects: The Atlantic World

• Introduction
• In This Session (3/7/24)
• What's Left Behind
• Your Library: Overview of Services
• Primary VS Secondary Sources
• What is Peer Review?
• Types of Sources
• What is a "Good" Secondary Source?
• Historical Statistics
• Finding Encyclopedias
• Boolean (AND OR NOT)
• Article Tips
• How to order articles we don't own?
• Analyzing, Summarizing, and Critiquing an Article
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Publications
• Worldcat: Accessing books we don't own
• Analyzing, Summarizing, and Critiquing a Book
• Getting Started with Secondary Sources
• Difficulty with primary sources
• Why so many databases?
• Key Databases
• Annotated Bibliographies
• Stuck or need help? No problem!

Guide to Finding Search Terms for Secondary Sources

• Guide to finding keywords in secondary research

What is a secondary source?

A Secondary source is a work written about an event or person  after  it has taken place. Some examples:

• Academic Article
• Most websites
• Media depictions (ex. films)
• Documentaries
• Reinactments

Types of Secondary Sources

In Academe, we are especially interested in a specific  type  of secondary source: Peer Reviewed Publications.

But what's the difference between scholarly, peer reviewed, popular, or refereed? Scholarly : A source written by an expert, but not subjected to the peer review process.  Example: magazine articles (if written by expert), public presentations, reviews, opinion pieces. Refereed : Academic work that has some level of vetting, usually by an editor or panel.  Example: Conference papers, journal articles that are approved by an editor but not external reviewers. NOTE: refereed is often used interchangeably with Peer Reviewed by databases, but it isn't always the same. Popular : Written for a wide readership. May or may not be written by a subject expert. Examples: newspaper or magazine, popular press books, websites. Peer Reviewed : Academic books and articles written by a specialist, reviewed by other experts, and published by an academic press. Examples: Articles in academic journals, some conference papers, books published  by university presses.

• << Previous: Primary VS Secondary Sources
• Next: What is Peer Review? >>
• Last Updated: Mar 12, 2024 1:15 PM
• URL: https://guides.libraries.wm.edu/HIST150ObjectsSp24

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources: A Quick Guide: Secondary Sources

• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Tertiary Sources

What is a Secondary Source?

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. Many books you find in the Cornell Library Catalog are secondary sources.

Reference Help

• << Previous: Primary Sources
• Next: Tertiary Sources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 12, 2024 4:30 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/sources

Libraries | Research Guides

Primary sources/secondary sources, what is a primary source, primary source examples.

• Secondary Sources
• Finding Primary Sources
• Library Primary Resources

Need more help?

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.

• Next: Secondary Sources >>
• Last Updated: Dec 7, 2022 12:52 PM
• URL: https://libguides.northwestern.edu/primarysecondary

Search for books, articles, media and more

Check the current status of our systems, applications, and online resources

Search the Library Website

Looking for a book, article, database or something else for your research, primary sources.

A  primary source  is an  original  document containing  firsthand  information about a topic.

Different fields of study may use different types of primary sources. Common examples of a primary source are:

• Autobiographies
• Eyewitness Accounts
• Interview Transcripts
• Legal Documents
• Original works of art
• Photographs of the topic
• Original Research
• Video Footage of the topic event
• Works of literature

Secondary Sources

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)
• Journal Articles
• Literary Criticism
• Monographs written about the topic
• Reviews of books, movies, musical recordings,. works of art, etc.

Primary vs. Secondary Information

Primary sources are first hand sources; secondary sources are second-hand sources. For example, suppose there had been a car accident. The description of the accident which a witness gives to the police is a primary source because it comes from someone who was actually there at the time. The next day's newspaper story is a secondary source because the reporter who wrote the story did not actually witness the event.  The reporter is presenting a way of understanding the accident or an interpretation.

*From North Park University, History Department

However , the distinctions between primary and secondary sources can be ambiguous. It is important to remember that you cannot determine whether a source is primary or secondary solely based on the document type. An individual document may be a primary source in one context and a secondary source in another. For example, the movie  Love, Marilyn  is a secondary source when the topic is Marilyn Monroe; it would be considered a primary source if the topic of research was the works of Liz Garbus (the film's director).

Additionally, time can be a defining element. For example, a recent newspaper article is not usually a primary source; but a newspaper article from the 1860’s may be a primary source for United States Civil War research.

*From CBB Library and IT Consortium

Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources

Sometimes, the same source might be a primary source for one research paper and a secondary source for another. It all depends on the relationship of the source to your research question. For example, if you are researching Franklin Roosevelt's life, the book  No ordinary time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The home front in World War II  by Doris Kearns Goodwin would be a secondary source. If you were researching the literary style of Ms. Goodwin, it would be a primary source.

*From Joyner Library, East Carolina University

More on Primary Sources

This resource is included in these playlists, still have questions.

Guide to Historical Research: Secondary Sources

• Catalog Search
• Evaluating Sources
• Citing Sources

What Is a Secondary Source?

Secondary sources are written by someone who was not present during the event or condition under discussion. Authors of secondary sources use primary sources or other secondary sources to gather their information.

When doing historical research, it is important to distinguish between  primary  and  secondary  sources.

" Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later. Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format." ( What Are Primary Sources? Yale University)

For information about finding primary source materials, see the Finding Primary Sources for Historical Research user guide.

Head of Archives

• << Previous: Newspapers
• Next: Catalog Search >>
• Last Updated: Jan 17, 2024 11:46 AM
• URL: https://libguides.uww.edu/HIS_research

Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary Sources

• Source Types
• Primary Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Tertiary Sources
• Examples by Discipline

What are secondary sources?

Secondary sources depend upon primary sources. Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. The important thing to keep in mind when trying to decide if a source is primary or secondary is whether or not the author did the thing they are reporting on. If they did, it is a primary source; if they did not, it is a secondary source.

What is the role of secondary sources in research?

Secondary sources represent the scholarly conversation that has taken place, or is currently taking place, on a given topic. Thus, it is imperative that researchers acquire a comprehensive knowledge of the secondary literature on their topic to be able to then engage with it and offer their own perspective through their writing. Scholars show their deep knowledge of their topic by demonstrating in their writing their awareness of secondary literature. Research that does not include substantial references to both primary and secondary sources is not likely to be authoritative or reliable. For that reason, looking at the listed references in a piece of research can help you determine its value.

What are some examples of secondary sources?

Like primary sources, secondary sources can be lots of different kinds of resources depending on discipline and application. Secondary sources can be:

• Journal articles
• Monographs (books written on a single subject)
• Newspaper or magazine articles
• Book or movie reviews 

In the sciences, secondary sources tend to be things like literature reviews (synthesized descriptions of previous scholarship on a topic), systematic reviews (overviews of primary sources on a topic), or meta analyses (studies in which conclusions are drawn from consideration of systematic reviews).

In the humanities, secondary sources tend to be journal articles that discuss or evaluate someone else's research, monographs, or reviews. 

• << Previous: Primary Sources
• Next: Tertiary Sources >>
• Last Updated: Aug 24, 2023 1:08 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uky.edu/sourcetypes

Primary and Secondary Sources

• Primary Sources
• Finding Primary Sources

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Scholarly Sources
• Finding Secondary (and Scholarly) Sources

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:

• Biographies
• Literary Criticism
• Journal articles that do not present new research
• << Previous: Finding Primary Sources
• Next: Scholarly Sources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 1, 2024 2:40 PM
• URL: https://library.uhv.edu/sources
• UHV Library 3006 N. Ben Wilson Victoria, TX 77901

• school Campus Bookshelves
• menu_book Bookshelves
• perm_media Learning Objects
• login Login
• how_to_reg Request Instructor Account
• hub Instructor Commons

Margin Size

• Download Page (PDF)
• Download Full Book (PDF)
• Periodic Table
• Physics Constants
• Scientific Calculator
• Reference & Cite
• Tools expand_more
• Readability

selected template will load here

This action is not available.

2.3: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

• Last updated
• Save as PDF
• Page ID 65193

• Carol M. Withers with Bruce Johnson & Nathan Martin
• San Diego City College Library

\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)

\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)

\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)

\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)

\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)

\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)

\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)

\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)

\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)

\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}}      % arrow\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}}      % arrow\)

\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)

\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)

One way to figure out if something is a primary source is to ask yourself, "Can I get any closer to the actual event/person I am interested in studying?" If you can, then it is probably not the primary source. If you read an article that was written using diaries and interviews as the source of information you would be using a secondary source. You can get closer to the event/person. If you read the diaries and interviews themselves , you are using primary sources. Diaries, interviews, trial records, autobiographies and original research are often given as examples of a primary source. A secondary source usually interprets a primary source. They can include books (such as biographies) and many periodicals. A novel or film ( The Great Gatsby or Star Wars ) or any other work of art is a primary source; a review of the film or a book analyzing or commenting on the novel is a secondary source.

Determining if something is a primary or secondary source can get blurry because it really depends upon what you are studying. A great primary source for women’s experiences in California during the gold rush is the Shirley Letters . These were written by Dame Shirley (Mrs. Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe) who lived in gold rush towns and wrote letters about her experiences in 1851-1852 to her sister. If we use her letters to write a paper, we are using a primary source. If, however, she wrote about what she heard at the saloon on how mines were built, that part of her letter would be a great secondary information source about how gold mines were built even though we most often consider her letters primary sources. In his book, Anybody’s Gold , Jackson uses Shirley Letters as a primary source to write about Clappe and the California she lived in. When we use Jackson for a paper/project, therefore, we are reading a secondary source .

As you can see, the lines can be blurred. Newspaper reporters or foreign correspondents on the front lines of a war reporting what they observe first hand are considered a primary source. An editorial commenting on the same war, published in the same newspaper would be considered a secondary source.

When all this information is compiled, studied and reviewed for an encyclopedia entry, that would be considered tertiary. Encyclopedia and biographical dictionaries strive to provide straight forward background information on a topic, idea or event without a pronounced point of view. The purpose of tertiary sources is to summarize or to lead you to other sources by way of their bibliographies.

Let’s say that we want information about Benjamin Franklin. There are thousands of information sources about Franklin. How you will search for the information is dependent upon how you will ultimately use it. A primary source would be the title The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin. Secondary sources would be the titles Benjamin Franklin, Genius of Kites, Flights and Voting Rights by Seymour Block and Stealing God’s Thunder: Benjamin Franklin’s Lighting Rod and the Invention of America by Philip Dray.

A tertiary source containing facts about Franklin would be Dictionary of American History or Encyclopedia of World Biography which distils just the facts from primary and secondary sources and offer this background information to us in encyclopedic form. A selection of examples follows.

• Hirsh Health Sciences
• Webster Veterinary

History (General)

• Getting Started
• Reference Sources
• Primary Sources by Region
• Primary Sources by Topics
• Print Primary Sources

Databases and Indexes of Scholarly Literature

Print books in the library, secondary sources.

What is a secondary source?

 A secondary source is a scholarly discussion based on primary sources. Typically, a secondary source contains original research.

Why should I use secondary sources?

Secondary sources are useful for in-depth analysis of your topic and for learning about scholarly perspectives on your topic. You can use a secondary source as a conversation partner about a topic or you can take the methodology from a secondary source an apply it to a new research question.

What are some examples of secondary sources?

Secondary sources include articles, blogs, books (often called monographs), lectures, podcasts, and scientific reports. Any kind of scholarly liter can be a secondary source.

Pro tip:  Although the distinction between primary sources and secondary sources is useful, it is not absolute. A secondary source may become a primary source depending on the researcher's perspective. Consider a textbook on American history from the 1990's. If a researcher uses the textbook for a scholarly perspective on the civil rights movement, then it is a secondary source. However, if the researcher uses the textbook to as evidence of curriculum in the 1990's, then it is a primary soruce.

• Academic Search Premier Multi-disciplinary | Index and some full text | Scholarly literature
• AfricaBib.org African studies | Index | Journal articles
• America: History & Life History of United States and Canada | Index and some full text | Scholarly literature
• Arts & Humanities Citation Index Multi-disciplinary | Index and citation tracker | Scholarly literature
• Arts & Humanities Database Multi-disciplinary | Index and some full text | Scholarly literature
• HAPI Online Focus on Central and South America | Index and some full text | Scholarly literature
• Historical abstracts World history excluding North America | Index and some full text | Scholarly literature
• JSTOR Multi-disciplinary | Index and some full text | Scholarly literature
• Scopus Multi-disciplinary | Index and citation tracker | Journal articles
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) Multi-disciplinary | Index and some full text | Dissertations and theses
• Race Relations Abstracts Interdisciplinary focus on race and ethnicity | Index and some full text | Scholarly literature
• Middle East and Africa Database Focus on the Middle East and Africa | Index and some full text | Scholarly and popular literature

Browsing the library stacks can be a useful way of finding relevant resources. The following is a guide to how history books are organized in the library stacks according to the Library of Congress system. For more complete details, see the Library of Congress Classification Outline .

• << Previous: Print Primary Sources
• Last Updated: May 8, 2024 1:22 PM
• URL: https://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/history-general

• Translate Page

Scroll to find the Learn to and Resources boxes

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, 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:

• quick facts about an individual
• in-depth information about an individual
• information about an individual's role in a specific event (e.g., Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation Proclamation)

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):   

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.

• Accessibility
• Powered by Plone & Python

login (staff only)

• Harvard Library
• Research Guides
• Faculty of Arts & Sciences Libraries

Library Research Guide for the History of Science

Secondary sources.

• Newsletter February 2024
• Research Methods
• HOLLIS (and other) Catalogs
• Finding Primary Sources Online
• Outline of Primary Sources for History
• Background/Context
• Bibliographies
• Digital Libraries/Collections
• Public Health Reports
• League of Nations/WHO
• Personal Writings/Oral History
• Archives and Manuscripts
• Images & Film
• Harvard Collections
• Countway Library
• Boston-Area Repositories
• Citing Sources & Organizing Research
• Digital Collections List

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

• History of Science, Technology and Medicine

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:

• Isis Current Bibliography of the History of Science and its Cultural Influences , 1975-. [Coverage of book reviews 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. Use print version for earlier book reviews (see below)]
• Current Bibliography in the History of Technology , 1987- . [Book reviews included]
• Wellcome Bibliography of the History of Medicine , 1991-2004. [No book reviews]
• Bibliografia italiana di storia della scienza , 1982- . [Book reviews included]

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:

• Choose <Search JSTOR>
• Choose <Advanced Search>
• In one search field enter your search terms, leaving the menu at <full-text>
• In another search field enter <’Critical Bibliography’>, adjusting the menu to <item title>
• Enter Isis at <Enter Title>

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. LOCATION: History of Science: LOCATION: Widener: RR 5002.36 LOCATION: Wolbach Obs (HCO): Ref Biblio. Cat. Q125.Z99 I87 (Incomplete)

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. LOCATION: Baker Business: Z7914.H5 F4 1968 LOCATION: Widener: RR5003.40

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.

• To limit to historical sources, attach the phrase (in"") "historical article" to your search. Example: "Psychology, clinical" and "historical article".
• Be sure to look for MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) on pertinent records by scrolling down past the abstracts. (Not all records in PubMed have MeSH terms.) Subject headings can help you get to more relevant records and/or can be helpful keyword suggestions.
• Very recent articles may not as yet received their MeSH terms.  So look at older records to find the MeSH terms, and use a variety of keywords as well as MeSH terms to find the new records. The MeSH terms are the same as the Medical Subject terms found in HOLLIS.

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

• Enter book title in quotes, leaving menu at full text. Reviews of books lacking distinctive titles may be difficult to separate from other occurrences of the search phrase. If the author name is more distinctive than the title, search the author name using the inverted first initial only, e.g., "Righini G."
• Scrolling down, enter Isis at <Publication Title>

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:

• Agricultural History
• Agricultural History Review
• Ambix (history of chemistry)
• Annals of Science
• Archives internationales d'histoire des sciences
• British Journal for the History of Science
• Bulletin of the History of Medicine
• Clio Medica
• History and Technology
• History of Science
• Industrial Archaeology Review
• Journal of Garden History
• Journal of the History of Ideas
• Journal of the History of Philosophy
• Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences
• Journal of Transport History
• Medical History and Medical History, Supplement
• Medizinhistorisches Journal
• Newcomen Society for the Study of the History of Engineering and Technology, Transactions
• Quipu: Revista Latinoamericana de Historia de las Ciencias y la Tecnologia
• Social History of Medicine
• Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
• Technology and Culture
• Victorian Studies
• Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science
• << Previous: Biography
• Next: Digital Libraries/Collections >>
• Last Updated: May 13, 2024 1:49 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/histsci

Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy