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Types of Sources

Primary sources, according to The Longman Concise Companion, consist "of information and ideas in original or close-to-original form" (151), whereas secondary sources consist "of works that analyze, summarize, interpret, or explain primary sources" (151).

Examples
Primary Source Secondary Source
An exact transcript of an interview with an expert in some field An article that discusses the expert's contributions to the field and quotes from the interview
The raw data gathered from a survey about dental hygiene An advertisement that claims four out of five dentists recommend sugarless gum
The Declaration of Independence A political speech that refers to the Declaration of Independence
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (when used in a literary analysis of Huck Finn) Huckleberry Finn as Idol and Target: The Functions of Criticism in Our Time by Jonathan Arac (when used in the same literary analysis)
 
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