In the Sciences, primary sources are documents that provide full description of the original research. For example, a primary source would be a journal article where scientists describe their research on the human immune system. A secondary source would be an article commenting or analyzing the scientists' research on the human immune system.
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources
Primary and Secondary Source Examples
Primary Source
Secondary Source
Conference Papers
Criticism and interpretation
Correspondence
Dictionaries
Dissertations
Directories
Diaries
Encyclopedias
Interviews
Government Policy
Lab Notebooks
Law and Legislation
Notes
Monographs
Patents
Moral and Ethical Aspects
Studies or Surveys
Public Opinion
Technical Reports
Reviews
Theses
Social Policy
Tables
Source: The Evolution of Scientific Information (from Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, vol. 26).