Secondary literature
In the UNISIST model of information
dissemination are secondary
information systems and secondary information services understood as systems
and services
that registers, describes and organizes
as well the primary literature as the other categories (including the secondary
literature itself). Secondary information systems are the core focus of the
library, documentation, and information science profession. The UNISIST-model
also implies a
document typology, in which
secondary literature
is a product of such secondary systems and services.
Examples of secondary kinds of literature are:
The term "secondary literature" is also
used in other senses.
It is common in the humanities
to use the term primary literature about an author studied (e.g. Karen Blixen)
while other scholars' work on that author are termed secondary literature.
Examples: Watson, R. I. (1974). Eminent Contributors to Psychology (Vol. I: Primary .. Vol. II: Secondary...). Andkjær Olsen,
O. & Køppe, S. (1981). Freuds
psykoanalyse. (Copenhagen: Gyldendal), p. 466: Bibliografi over Freuds skrifter
[Bibliography of Freud's writings], p. 483: Bibliografi over sekundærlitteratur
[Bibliography of secondary literature].
Also
in the humanities has the term
"secondary literature" sometimes been used about survey
literature, while theses are termed primary literature and bibliographies
are termed tertiary literature, thus rather divergent from the UNISIST model. It
should be said that the UNISIST terminology is also applied in the humanities,
cf. Stone (1982).
Wikipedia (2006) provides the following definition
of secondary sources in historical research:
"Secondary
sources are authoritative texts written by someone who was not
present at an event, but who uses primary documents. For
example, a book written by a historian long after an event is
regarded as a secondary source. Good secondary sources are based
on primary and the best secondary sources, and involve
generalization, analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or
evaluation. Popular writing does not pretend to be authoritative
and is usually based on a reading of secondary sources or
encyclopedias." (Wikipedia, 2006).
Literature:
Hoerman, H. L. & Nowicke, C. E. (1995). Secondary and
tertiary citing - A study of referencing behavior in the literature of citation
analysis deriving from the Ortega hypothesis of Cole and Cole. Library
Quarterly, 65(4), 415-434.
Schofield, H. (1998). The Evolution of the Secondary
Literature in Chemistry. Pp. 94-106 IN: Proceedings of the 1998 Conference on
the History and Heritage of Science Information Systems.
http://www.chemheritage.org/explore/ASIS_documents/ASIS98_Schofield.pdf
Stone, S. (1982). Humanities Scholars: Information needs and uses.
Journal of
Documentation, 38(4), p. 297.
Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia. (2006). Secondary source.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_source
See also: Bibliography;
Document typology;
Primary literature;
Review article;
Survey;
UNISIST model of information
dissemination
Birger Hjørland
Last edited: 10-05-2006
Home