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FYS 100 -- Exploration & Understanding Our World (Brylawski): Primary vs Secondary

Primary/Secondary Chart

Class Exercise

Primary vs. Secondary

A primary source is original or new material on which other research is based.  A secondary source analyzes, evaluates, re-packages, summarizes or reorganizes information reported by researchers in the primary literature. Many books including textbooks, newspaper or magazine articles, encyclopedias, and scholarly review articles are examples of secondary sources. For further help, see information from the libraries at Borough of Manhattan Community College.