Literature Glossary
Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.
Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Secondary Source
Definition:
Secondary sources interpret primary sources. Confused? Let's back things up.
When you're cranking out a research paper, primary sources are the original evidence that you use to support your main point—things like newspaper articles, interviews, diaries, photographs, and so on. Secondary sources analyze those firsthand accounts.
You know all those textbooks that you have to lug around? Those are secondary sources. Ditto for magazine articles, encyclopedia entries, and critiques. Basically, primary sources are in the game; secondary sources provide commentary.