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Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources: Examples

This guide will help you learn more about what primary, secondary, and tertiary sources are and when to use them in your research.

Examples of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

Primary Secondary Tertiary
Photographs Commentaries/Criticisms Dictionaries/Encyclopedias (May also be secondary)
Diaries Textbooks (May also be tertiary) Handbooks/Manuals/Guidebooks
Interviews Biographies Textbooks (may also be secondary)
Letters Dissertations Indexes/Biographies
Original research and Data (Also called "empirical research") Reviews Directories
Memoirs/Autobiographies/Oral Histories Dictionaries/Encyclopedias (May also be tertiary) Chronologies

The Declaration of Independence

 Grant by Ron Chernow

 

 

 

 

World Book Encyclopedia

Examples in History:

Primary: Oral histories recorded with survivors, family members, and others affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, found here.

Secondary: An article in Harvard Business News published in December 2002 analyzing the communication issues between first responders during 9/11, found here.

Tertiary: The 9/11 Encyclopedia, a book that provides a list of primary sources, a chronology of the events of 9/11, and an annotated bibliography of authoritative works on 9/11, found here.