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This wall painting found in the Roman city of Pompeii is an example of a primary source about people in Pompeii in Roman times (portrait of Terentius Neo).. In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was created at the time ...
Primary sources can be reliable, and they can be used. Sometimes, a primary source is even the best possible source, such as when you are supporting a direct quotation. In such cases, the original document is the best source because the original document will be free of any errors or misquotations introduced by subsequent sources.
It is possible to create original research based on any source: primary, secondary or tertiary; and in all cases this should be avoided. However, particular care should be taken with primary sources because it is easy to misuse them. Most statements of fact or opinion come ultimately from primary sources, via analysis, interpretation or synthesis.
The best sources in basic science are peer reviewed research articles in reputable journals i.e. primary sources by the WP's definition. The basic science equivalent to secondary sources, i.e. reviews of a developing research field, often just contain a brief summary of the primary research and can be colored by the authors' own view point.
They rely on primary sources for their material, making analytic or evaluative claims about them. [d] For example, a review article that analyzes research papers in a field is a secondary source for the research. [e] Whether a source is primary or secondary depends on context. A book by a military historian about the Second World War might be a ...
Research that consists of collecting and organizing material from existing sources is encouraged: this is "source-based research," and it is fundamental to writing an encyclopedia. Problems often arise, however, when editors use sources in ways that constitute original research , or which violate Wikipedia's policy of neutrality .
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They rely on primary sources for their material, making analytic or evaluative claims about them. [f] For example, a review article that analyzes research papers in a field is a secondary source for the research. [g] Whether a source is primary or secondary depends on context. A book by a military historian about the Second World War might be a ...