Answer to Question #252440 in English for Efhya

Question

Explain the difference between primary sources and secondary sources in history and bring out their merits and demerits

Answer 1

Primary sources are firsthand, contemporary accounts of events created by individuals during that period of time or several years later (such as correspondence, diaries, memoirs and personal histories). These original records can be found in several media such as print, artwork, and audio and visual recording. Examples of primary sources include manuscripts, newspapers, speeches, cartoons, photographs, video, and artifacts. Secondary sources on the other hand often use generalizations, analysis, interpretation, and synthesis of primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include textbooks, articles, and reference books.

Merits of Primary Sources

• Degree of accuracy is quite high.
• It does not require extra caution.
• It depicts the data in great detail.

Demerits of Primary Sources

• Collection of data requires a lot of time.
• It requires lot of finance.
• It requires a lot of labor.

Merits of Secondary Sources

• It saves time and finance.
•  Reliable secondary data are generally available for many investigations.
• Allow you to generate new insights from previous analysis.

Demerits of Secondary Sources

• Might be not specific to your needs.
• You have no control over data quality.
• Extra caution is required to use secondary data.