Biblical Studies Research: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

© Janet Tillman/The Master’s University, 2017, permission is granted for non-profit educational use; any reproduction or modification should include this statement.

PRIMARY SOURCES:

The best scholarly research papers will contain as many of these as possible as part of their supporting documentation.

1. Original words – novels, poems, plays, speeches, interviews, letters, case studies, test data, pilot studies, findings from surveys, archeological drawings..
2. Original works – experiments, films, drawings, designs, models, paintings, music, scores, sculptures, discoveries.

SECONDARY SOURCES:

These are also very good sources to use in a scholarly paper

1. Works that discuss a primary source; Works about somebody or about their work(s)
2. Criticisms, critiques, commentaries, analysis, reviews of primary sources
3. A secondary source can become a primary source when it is the work being analyzed, critiqued, reviewed, etc.

TERTIARY SOURCES:

These are excellent places to start research on a topic, but are not considered acceptable as documentation in a scholarly research paper. Tertiary sources will provide background information, the broad context of a narrower topic, parameters of a topic and will increase ones comprehension when reading secondary and primary sources on the topic. These will also identify expert authors, bibliographies and professional jargon which can be used to further one’s research –  an application of "using sources to find more sources".

1.  A synthesis and explanation for a popular audience

2.  Books and articles based on secondary sources

3.  Compilation of the research of others

4. Explanation of someone's research for a popular audience

5. Restating what others have said

6. General and specialized encyclopedias including Wikipedia, textbooks and college term papers.

Last updated October, 2017

Use Sources to Find Sources

1. Consult secondary sources: search items from their cited references or bibliographies
2. Use electronic databases: some specifically identify primary source documents
3. Consult biographical dictionaries: often contain published works by the biographee
4. Use catalog of manuscript collections

Archives, Museums, Libraries

• Make Friends with the Reference Librarians
• Open Access Resources
• Digital Archives 

Local Business; Local Governments, Local Civic Organizations

• Organizational Headquarters
• Area Chamber of Commerce
• Government Web sites

P2P or F2F Interviews

• Experts in the field: Authors, University Professors, Professionals, Employers, Employees.
• Be sure to consult the Human Subjects Research Committee/Policy

Newspapers, Magazine articles of the period

Dissertations (bibliographies are great sources for more sources)

Attics, basements, spare rooms, storage sheds of relatives, collectors, aficionados associated with the topic

Look beyond the typical sources of information related to the topic being researched. Examples: 

• Could local weather conditions have had an impact on the person, place or event?
• Could Images like Paintings, Photographs, Sketches, or Engravings add to your understanding of the person, place, event or period?
• Could methods of communication or lack thereof have had an effect on the person, place or event?
• Likewise could modes of transportation have had an effect on the person, place or event being investigated?
• Could any Social, Political, Cultural situations have had an effect on the person, place or event?

Last updated March 2025.