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Secondary source facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
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Scipione Amati's History of the Kingdom of Voxu (1615) an example of a secondary source.

A secondary source is a document or recording that writes or speaks about information that is one step removed from the original source.

The secondary source depends on the primary source or original source of the information. Secondary sources interpret, evaluate or discuss information found in primary sources. In historiography, a secondary source is a study written by a scholar about a topic. Secondary sources frequently cite primary sources and other secondary sources. They rarely cite tertiary sources.

Example

A secondary source would be a book on 13th century politics, while the Magna Charta itself would be a primary source. Many secondary sources use extensive citations in the form of footnotes or endnotes.

Legal use

The main use of secondary sources in law is to explain the law. They also explain legal concepts. They are used to analyze and describe laws as well as comment on them. Judicial decisions and opinions by qualified experts are secondary sources.

Other pages

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Fuente secundaria para niños

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Secondary source Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.