Primary source and secondary source
The pair of terms primary source / secondary source refers, among other things, in historical studies to the traditional connection between sources . A secondary source can be used to find out what was in the (possibly lost) primary source. A primary source is used when secondary sources are dealt with in the relevant context, otherwise the term source is simply used.
Primary sources are usually stored in archives and represent the first transmission of people, events and special features and administrative actions.
term
In historical studies there is a sharp distinction between sources in the narrower sense of the word and modern secondary literature dealing with sources or other texts.
The pair of terms primary source / secondary source is one of the many ways of differentiating sources from one another : Primary sources are often, but not necessarily, initial information from eyewitnesses or written reports from those involved in the event, from events and historical features and processes. Primary sources therefore usually represent the first transmission in written form (reports, minutes, correspondence) and are therefore very authentic. The content-related and thus the first indexing of primary sources is usually in the hands of archivists .
Secondary sources are reports and other traditions from second hand, which in turn cite primary sources or originate from them. These can usually be found as printed matter and literature in libraries.
use
In the historiography it comes to the reliable historical source to determine on an issue, because it may be that the secondary source renders the content of the primary source is faulty. However, it can also be the case that in individual cases a secondary source “exceeds a primary source in value because of greater objectivity in the report, better overview of the interrelationships, etc.”, says Ahasver von Brandt . If a primary source has been lost, the text of the primary source can be reconstructed with the help of secondary sources or at least the approximate content can be found out.
In literary studies , primary sources are the literary texts, while secondary sources are all those texts “whose development is the task” of source studies . Gero von Wilpert lists manuscripts, manuscripts, prints, documents, archives, memoirs, etc., "the knowledge of which supplements and expands the actual scientific research on the works itself".
Many ancient and partly medieval works have been lost to posterity. In preserved works, however, there are sometimes quotations or comments of different lengths from lost texts. The corresponding passages in preserved works are therefore secondary sources about the lost works.
Delimitations
The pair of terms primary source / secondary source stands for itself and has nothing to do with the pair of terms source / secondary literature. Both primary sources and secondary sources are simply sources ; under secondary literature refers to the modern literature on a topic, which is, however in turn become a source, for example in the history of science. In history, the pair of terms of source and representation is used, albeit rarely.
In the English-speaking world, however, the pair of opposites is used for the sources (primary sources) and the secondary literature (secondary sources) . Tertiary sources refers to aids such as technical dictionaries, manuals, history atlases, etc.
The source edition is not considered a secondary source , although the problem of the secondary is similar here.
Examples
- Person A has attended an event and is writing a report about it. Person B has read this report and tells about it in a letter. In this case, person A's report is the primary source on the event, and person B's letter is a secondary source. If the historian wants to know what was in the possibly lost report, the relevant information in the letter will help.
- Ahasver von Brandt calls Goethe's diary of the Italian journey (1786) a primary source compared to the later Italian journey (1816).
See also
Remarks
- ↑ Ahasver von Brandt: Tool of the historian. An introduction to the historical auxiliary sciences , 11th edition, Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1986, p. 51 f.
- ↑ Gero von Wilpert : Specialized Dictionary of Literature (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 231). 7th, improved and enlarged edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-520-23107-7 , keyword "Quellenkunde".
- ↑ Ahasver von Brandt: Tool of the historian. An introduction to historical auxiliary sciences , 11th edition, Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1986, p. 51.