1.13. Sources of Data

So, what is meant by ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ sources of data and where is it obtained?

Primary sources of data may include:

·       eyewitness accounts of events

·       oral or written testimony found in public records & legal documents, minutes of meetings, corporate records

·       recordings, letters, diaries, journals, drawings located in university archives, libraries or privately run collections such as local historical society.

Secondary sources may include:

·       oral or written information

·       second-hand accounts of events found in textbooks, encyclopedias, journal articles, newspapers, biographies

·       other media such as films or tape recordings.