Primary vs. Secondary Sources: Evaluating Sources

Primary sources are the foundations of histories. Evaluation of the sources is essential to scholarly research.

• Who was the author and who was the audience of the primary source?
• What was the purpose of the document or motive for writing it?
• Does the writer have an obvious bias?
• When was this document written, and what was the effect of the document on history?
• What affect did the document have on the your view of this topic or event?
• Compare the primary source information with secondary source information.

This short video from the University of Houston explains the difference between primary and secondary sources as well as explaining how to use them in your research. 

 Evaluation of sources is essential to scholarly research. Consider the following when looking for reliable secondary sources:

• Who is the author? Are they a scholar in the field?
• Was the book/ journal published by a scholarly publisher?
• What is the purpose of the text or motive for writing it?
• Does the writer have an obvious bias?
• Does the book/ article have an extensive bibliography?
• What are the primary sources referred to by the author?
• What secondary sources are used by the author?
• Does the text have citations enabling you to check the author's sources.