Primary vs. Secondary Sources
What are primary sources?
There are two basic types of information sources: primary and secondary. Primary sources are the "horse's mouth" sources-those that come directly from the people involved. These include
interviews or surveys that you conduct
data that you collect
writings by the principal subjects of your paper (such as novels, diaries, letters, etc.)
your personal observations
What are secondary sources?
Secondary sources are other people's interpretations of the subject matter. They include
books
periodicals (magazines and journals)
news reports
online articles
data collected by others
encyclopedias