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May 19, 2022 · What is a tertiary source? There are three types of research sources: Primary sources: These provide direct evidence about the topic of your research question (e.g., newspapers, diary entries, and photographs). Secondary sources: These interpret or analyze information from primary sources (e.g., books and journal articles).
Learn about primary, secondary and tertiary sources in research. We explain what each type is and how they compare, along with examples.
- Primary sources (also referred to as primary data) are the original raw materials, evidence or data collected in a study. Primary sources can inclu...
- Secondary sources are materials that provide an analysis or interpretation of primary sources (primary data). For example, secondary sources of inf...
- Tertiary sources are materials that provide a general overview of a topic. They often summarise or synthesise information from a combination of pri...
Aug 22, 2023 · A tertiary source is an information source that compiles, analyses, and synthesises both primary and secondary sources. Tertiary sources provide an overview or summary of a topic, making complex information more accessible and manageable due to our natural cognitive bias to simplify.
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Apr 12, 2024 · Tertiary sources are publications that summarize and digest the information in primary and secondary sources to provide background on a topic, idea, or event. Encyclopedias and biographical dictionaries are good examples of tertiary sources.
- Michael Engle
- 2014
Aug 5, 2022 · Beyond definitions of primary, secondary and tertiary source types, this video provides useful examples of what would be primary, secondary and tertiary sources for research questions in different disciplines.
Tertiary sources are usually not credited to a particular author. Examples of Tertiary Sources: Dictionaries/encyclopedias (may also be secondary), almanacs, fact books, Wikipedia, bibliographies (may also be secondary), directories, guidebooks, manuals, handbooks, and textbooks (may be secondary), indexing and abstracting sources.
