Research Guides: Identify Primary, Secondary, Tertiary Sources: Secondary Sources

What you'll find on this page

On this page, you'll learn:

what secondary sources are and what they look like in different disciplines
where to find secondary sources
how to use secondary sources
additional tips to help you identify whether a source is secondary

What are secondary sources?

Secondary sources are about primary sources and provide analysis, commentary, or discussion.

Like primary sources, secondary sources may look different depending on your discipline. For example:

In STEM & medical fields	In the humanities & social sciences
book reviews	substantive & scholarly articles
systematic review articles	scholarly books
survey articles	reviews of books, art, theater & music
quantitative meta-analysis articles	newspaper articles that interpret rather than report on an event

Where to find secondary sources

Secondary sources can easily be found using the search box on the library home page or in the library databases. For example:

search for a material type (systematic review, book review, etc.) + your topic (World War II, bicycle, etc.) using the search box on VCU Libraries' home page.
search for your topic in the search box on VCU Libraries' home page or a database on your subject. Check the item type: if it's an article (in the humanities/social sciences) or a systematic review (in STEM-H), it's probably a secondary source.

Need assistance using the VCU Libraries search box or databases? Visit:

the Find Books, Articles, and More guide

How to use secondary sources

When your professor asks you to use secondary sources in your writing, you are being asked to quote, paraphrase, and incorporate them in the following ways:

As confirmation for your argument Click 'more' below for language you can use when incorporating secondary sources into your writing as confirmation for your argument.
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* Y agrees that _______.
* I agree that ______, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe ______.
* Nevertheless, both followers and critics of ______ will probably argue that _____.
As a starting point for your argument, which you enhance or expand upon Click 'more' below for language you can use when incorporating secondary sources into your writing as as a starting point for your argument.
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* Y argues that _______.
* In Y’s view, “_______.”
* Z overlooks what I consider an important point about _____.
As a starting point for your argument, which you disagree with Click 'more' below for language you can use when incorporating secondary sources into your writing as a starting point for your argument.
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* I think Z is mistaken because she overlooks ______.
* I disagree with Y’s view that ______, because, as recent research has shown, ______.
* Y is both right and wrong that ______.
As a means of clarifying your argument Click 'more' below for language you can use when incorporating secondary sources into your writing as a means to clarify your argument.
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* In other words, Z believes that _______.
* Nevertheless, new research shows ______.
* As a similar example, X explains ______.

Pro tips

1. Identifying a secondary source is all about the context of your research topic.

This fun quiz from Ithaca College Library has some great examples of secondary sources in various contexts.

2. Check the source's references.

If a source you are using also cites your primary source, that's a clue that it could be a secondary source for your research.
- For example, if your research topic is about masculine expectations in Kafka's Metamorphosis, this article directly quoting Metamorphosis (your primary source) could be used as a secondary source.
The references/works cited/bibliography of a source is also a great place to go to find additional sources on the same topic. Many databases now provide interactive reference lists which link you directly to those sources.