Okay, here are practical examples of primary, secondary, and tertiary information sources, categorized to help you understand the differences: **Primary Sources** * **Definition:** Original materials that provide firsthand accounts or direct evidence concerning a topic. If you are researching the causes of World War II, a recent documentary about the war is a secondary source. But if you are researching the filmmaking techniques used in historical documentaries, the documentary is a primary source. For example, if you were studying World War II, a soldier's diary would be a primary source as it captures their direct experiences, while a history book analyzing the war would be a secondary source. Newspaper and magazine articles can function as primary or secondary sources depending on how you use them for your research. In a historical study, for example, you might use contemporary newspaper articles as direct evidence of the time period. We can group information sources into three basic categories: primary, secondary, and tertiary. When we make distinctions between these three categories of sources, we are relating the information itself to the context in which it was created. Primary sources include firsthand documents like Lincoln's letters and soldiers' diaries, while secondary sources consist of analyses, such as biographies and web articles. Understanding this distinction helps in evaluating historical materials accurately. In general, primary sources are original works (original historical documents, art works, interviews, etc.), while secondary sources contain others’ insights and writings about those primary works (scholar articles about historical documents, art works, interviews, etc.). Deciding whether to consider a journal article a primary or a secondary source can be complicated for at least two reasons. First, journal articles that report new research for the first time are usually based on data collected by the author or others. 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. For example, if you were studying the culture of a tribe, an interview with a tribe member would be a primary source. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources. They are one step removed from the original source or event. Here's how your items match up: Here's a table for a clearer view: