historical source
{{Short description|Sources of history}}
A historical source encompasses "every kind of evidence that human beings have left of their past activities — the written word and spoken word, the shape of the landscape and the material artefact, the fine arts as well as photography and film."Tosh, John. 1999. The Pursuit of History. 3rd Ed. Longman. p. 36
While the range of potential historical sources has expanded to include many non-documentary sources, nevertheless "the study of history has nearly always been based squarely on what the historian can read in documents or hear from informants".Tosh, John. 1999. The Pursuit of History. 3rd Ed. Longman. p. 37
Historical sources are usually divided into primary and secondary, though some historians also refer to tertiary sources.
Types
= Primary source =
{{main article|
Primary source}}
In the study of history as an academic discipline, a "primary source" (also called an "original source") is a first hand account of events by someone who lived through them. "Primary sources were made during the historical period that is being investigated."{{cite web | url=https://www.historyskills.com/source-criticism/analysis/source-kind-and-type/ | title=Primary and secondary sources explained }}
= Secondary source =
{{main article|Secondary source}}
In scholarship, a secondary source"[http://lib.guides.umd.edu/c.php?g=327327&p=2195975 Primary, secondary and tertiary sources] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218124030/http://lib.guides.umd.edu/c.php?g=327327&p=2195975 |date=2020-02-18 }}". University Libraries, University of Maryland."[http://libguides.jcu.edu.au/secondary Secondary sources] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106172448/http://libguides.jcu.edu.au/secondary |date=2014-11-06 }}". James Cook University. is a document or recording that relates or discusses information originally presented elsewhere.
A secondary source is one that gives information about a primary source. In a secondary source, the original information is selected, modified and arranged in a suitable format. Secondary sources involve generalization, analysis, interpretation, or evaluation of the original information.
= Tertiary source =
{{main article|Tertiary source}}
A tertiary source is an index or textual consolidation of already published primary and secondary sources[http://www.lib.umd.edu/ues/guides/primary-sources Primary, secondary and tertiary sources.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703015116/http://www.lib.umd.edu/ues/guides/primary-sources |date=2013-07-03 }}". University Libraries, University of Maryland. Retrieve 07/26/2013 that does not provide additional interpretations or analysis of the sources.{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.odu.edu/genedinfolit/1infobasics/tertiary_information_sources.html|title=Tertiary Information Sources|date=September 2012|publisher=Old Dominion University -- ODU Libraries|access-date=20 June 2013}}"[http://libguides.jcu.edu.au/tertiary Tertiary sources] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106174742/http://libguides.jcu.edu.au/tertiary |date=2014-11-06 }}". James Cook University. Some tertiary sources can be used as an aid to find key (seminal) sources, key terms, general common knowledge"[http://libguides.newhaven.edu/content.php?pid=465151&sid=3809011 Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Resources]". University of New Haven. and established mainstream science on a topic. The exact definition of tertiary varies by academic field.
See also
External links
- [https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/prospective-undergrads/virtual-classroom/historical-sources-what What are Historical Sources? - University of Cambridge Faculty of History]
References
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