What is a secondary source?

A secondary source is a work that uses original material, like a primary source, to analyse and interpret information. Visual imagery, data or quotations from a primary source will often be included within a secondary source to provide commentary, evaluation and opinions by its author, to persuade the reader of their argument.

In our reference library we hold the following secondary sources:

- periodicals and journals
- books 
- reviews, essays on and criticisms of creative works, such as art, literature and music
- newspaper articles

From left to right: 'The Cabinet Maker', 'The Artist', 'A Century of Thai Cinema' and 'The Irish Diaspora in Britain (1750-1939)'

Using secondary sources

For your wider research, secondary sources can provide a useful introduction to a particular subject or idea, and by searching the footnotes or bibliography, highlight where the writer found primary sources of information to support their work. 

Using these primary sources, you can begin to interpret the information they hold in your own way and develop skills like critical analysis and thinking.  

Our Library Catalogue holds records for all published material in the main libraries (Aldgate & Holloway) and much of the published material in our Special Collections.

Some of our Special Collections have not yet been fully catalogued and we are creating lists of their contents.