Types of sources of information for the research of history of science

    History of science researchers make use of several different types of documents, that can be divided into primary, secondary and tertiary sources of information.See additional information

    This distinction is usually quite clear. If a historian is studying Robert Mayer's contribution to the law of energy conservation, then Mayer's own works, his correspondence and other writings produced by contemporary scientists will be regarded as primary sources. Recent books and articles on Mayer and the conservation of energy will be secondary sources. A bibliography on the history of thermodynamics will be a tertiary source of information.
    Both primary, secondary and tertiary sources may be either published or unpublished, although one rarely deals with unpublished secondary sources.



FOOTNOTES AND COMMENTS

Most historians of science are familiar with the distinction between primary and secondary sources. "Tertiary sources" is a new category, that is becoming more and more usual among historians, librarians and information technicians. See, for instance:
http://library.csun.edu/mwoodley/primary.html
http://www.lehigh.edu/~jahb/jadwiga/libraries.html
http://library.uncwil.edu/is/infocycle.htm
http://www.lawrence.edu/fac/revieg/guides/hist90prim.html
http://history.berkeley.edu/faculty/Carson/30B/PAPERS.html

    Return to the origin of this footnote


INTERNATIONAL DATABASES ON HISTORY OF SCIENCE SOURCES
Strategies for the Development of Databases Go to the main document
Roberto de Andrade Martins 

roberto.andrade.martins@gmail.com
Group of History, Theory of Science and Teaching

Document version 1, 21 April 2003