What distinguishes a secondary source from a primary source?

A secondary source is distinguished from a primary source primarily by its nature of interpretation or analysis of original findings. Secondary sources provide a lens through which the information from primary sources is examined, critiqued, or synthesized. This could entail academic articles that analyze research studies, books that discuss historical events using primary documents, or reviews that evaluate artistic works, all of which help contextualize and expand upon the original material.

Primary sources, on the other hand, are original materials created at the time of an event or experience, such as diaries, interviews, or original research studies. They contain firsthand information but do not analyze or interpret that information, which is the key characteristic of secondary sources. Therefore, recognizing that secondary sources are fundamentally reliant on primary sources for content but differ in their function of interpretation is crucial in understanding this distinction.