what are secondary sources?
Secondary Sources. The most common type of source you are likely to encounter is a secondary source. A secondary source is any source about an event, period, or issue in history that was produced after that event, period or issue has passed. Aside from a textbook, the most commonly assigned secondary source is a scholarly monograph - a volume on a specific subject in the past, written by an expert. Also common are articles in scholarly journals, which are similar to monographs, but on a smaller, more focused scale.
Primary vs. Secondary Research. When performing research, most writers will come across a variety of information from a variety of different places. All of these sources can be classified as either primary or secondary sources. Primary Source: A primary source is an original study, document, object, or eyewitness account.