Secondary source
document that discusses information originally presented elsewhere From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A secondary source is a document or recording that writes or speaks about information that is one step removed from the original source.[1]
The secondary source depends on the primary source or original source of the information. Secondary sources interpret, evaluate or discuss information found in primary sources.[2] In historiography, a secondary source is a study written by a scholar about a topic. Secondary sources frequently cite primary sources and other secondary sources.[3] They rarely cite tertiary sources.[3]
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Example
A secondary source would be a book on 13th century politics, while Magna Carta itself would be a primary source.[2] Many secondary sources use extensive citations in the form of footnotes or endnotes.
Legal use
The main use of secondary sources in law is to explain the law.[4] They also explain legal concepts.[4] They are used to analyze and describe laws as well as comment on them.[4] Judicial decisions and opinions by qualified experts are secondary sources.[5]
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