Secondary source

Secondary literature referred to specialist and non-fiction, which deals with other texts ( which are called primary sources or sources) scientifically dealing.

Humanities

Texts that are typically the subject of secondary literature and are referred to in this context as primary literature, include:

• Epic, dramatic and lyric art as an object of literary studies,
• Legal texts and other written sources of law as a subject of law,
• Historical texts as a subject of history,
• Religious texts referred to in scriptures as the object of religious studies.

Originally, the term comes from the secondary literature Literature: The Work of a Poet ( creative artists ) is the primary literature, the subsequent scientific study of this work, however, is the secondary literature. Thus, for example, Goethe's Faust. A tragedy. Primary literature, a treatise on the thumb (or characters, motives, etc. from the fist) is called the secondary literature. Encyclopedias articles on Goethe's Faust, with reference to the secondary literature are in turn tertiary literature (see below).

For the history of science, the secondary literature of yesteryear is logically used as the source. Example: The work of a famous scientist of the 19th century can be a source for today's historian who deals with that famous scientists.

In the history of science primary literature is traditionally referred to as the source, the analyzed representations as literature or secondary literature. In the history of science also the secondary source is from the secondary literature in addition to differ: the latter refers to a source, the information about what had been found in a primary source. Example: A court reporter quoted from a letter that was submitted to the court. The letter is the primary source, the protocol, the secondary source, which is significant if the letter itself is gone now lost.

Natural sciences

In the natural sciences include review articles ( in English: Review) to the secondary literature, while there quoted original papers - even if it was only a short time have appeared earlier - be expected for primary literature. In chemistry, the synthesis and characterization of one or more new hitherto entirely unknown substances is described in detail in the primary literature, for example, for the first time. When an author but collectively, one or more known from the primary literature describes groups of substances, this publication belongs to the secondary literature.

Tertiary literature

Literature summarized turn secondary literature and thus evaluates the first orientation is used is referred to as tertiary literature. These include encyclopedias, reference books and encyclopedias.