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I need articles from primary sources. What is the difference between primary and secondary sources?

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Find out the difference between primary and secondary sources in Types of Research page of the Research Subject guide or read the following guides:

In summary primary sources are original materials created during the time period studied. In general the authors of the article have actually carried out the study with a group of participants. Primary research includes:

  • original research articles
  • historical documents like letters, diaries etc.
  • artworks
  • interviews
  • surveys

Secondary sources usually summarise original research work. Examples of secondary sources include:

  • literature reviews
  • books