College Composition / Unit 21 CMP 0505 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Secondary Sources
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The idea
Secondary sources are at least one step removed from the experience; they analyze and interpret primary sources.
In practice
Most books, articles and analyses are secondary sources. The same document can be both: a biography is secondary about its subject and primary about its author.
Where people slip
Whether a source is primary or secondary depends partly on how you use it.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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