How to find secondary sources
Secondary sources can be found via the Library Search, library databases and Google Scholar.
To find good quality secondary sources, follow these three steps:
- Identify keywords and search terms
- Construct a search using Advanced Searching techniques (video: 04:05)
- Run your search within the appropriate databases
How to find primary sources
You can find primary sources in a number of places including library databases, online, and in archives and libraries. In order to determine where to search, you need to think about what kind of information you are looking for.
Click on the plus icons below to view more information on where to find primary sources.
How to recognise
At a basic level, you should be able to distinguish between a primary and secondary source by asking yourself whether the source is a first-hand account or not. However, this can be complicated in certain circumstances.
Remember, primary sources are characterised by their content, not their method of publication. While primary sources are original documents, you don’t need to physically view the original document yourself. This means that you don’t need to travel to an archive overseas to read Jane Austen’s letter written in her own hand in order to cite it as a primary source in your essay.
Tip
Some sources can be both primary and secondary sources depending on the context in which they are used.
Generally, a documentary on climate change would be a secondary source for a science student, but it may be a primary source for a Film Studies student studying documentary filmmaking. Similarly, a newspaper opinion piece is a primary source if you are using it to analyse how people reacted to a particular event. However, the same newspaper piece would be a secondary source if you are using it simply as a source of information on the event.