secondary source

noun

plural secondary sources

information science

: an article, report, etc. that is based on firsthand accounts or records of a thing being researched or studied but that is not itself a firsthand account

Primary sources are the raw materials of history—original documents and objects that were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts that retell, analyze, or interpret events, usually at a distance of time or place.

—Library of Congress

If you've attended one of my genealogy classes, you've heard the terms primary source and secondary source bandied about. Primary sources are those records that were created at or very near the time of the event, by someone who attended the event or had first-hand knowledge of the event. Secondary sources are records that are more removed from the event.

—Larry Van Horn

The news media outlets' political affiliation was determined by examining each paper's website and secondary sources that described each affiliation.

—Kenzie Hanson and Alexandra Lysova

Examples of secondary source in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When a potential juror skipped court to visit the Dominican Republic last year, Glanville ordered them to write a 30-page essay in APA style, with primary and secondary sources. —Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024

Ever since the boom of the side hustle, freelancing, or gig economy within recent years since the pandemic, holding down an alternative or secondary source of supplementary income has become the norm. —Rachel Wells, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

The basic takeaway: OK, folks, first: when news like this comes from an unnamed source on some random forum, and that source is not even a primary one, and that secondary source quoted is also unnamed, and that person heard it from a third party that is also unnamed... —Phil Plait, Discover Magazine, 19 Nov. 2019

Engaging and fast paced, the book is based largely on an examination of secondary sources, because the official Soviet records from World War II have not been completely released. —Terry W. Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2023

Students can participate in hands-on activities, analyze primary and secondary source materials, and enjoy short videos on the history of technology and its role in society. —IEEE Spectrum, 8 Apr. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above