What Is a Primary Source?
Primary sources are the original compilers of data or other research results. A primary document might be a 10-K, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, survey results, interviews or legal documents.
What Is a Secondary Source?
Secondary sources are books, articles, web sites, etc. that people write using the information from primary sources. Articles in Business Source Complete, and industry reports in IBISWorld, for instance, are secondary sources, because they embed data from primary sources to support their own secondary interpretation of trends. Many books you find in the Cornell Library Catalog are secondary sources as well..