Data and Information - Case Study Example

 Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” is an example of a primary source. Meanwhile, secondary sources are materials that digest, analyze, evaluate and interpret the information contained within primary sources or other secondary sources. Examples of these are books and articles (Henderson, 2011, n.p.). In using primary sources to make a background review of a study, one of the main advantages it provides is reliability it serves as the original source of information of the topic.

Primary sources also avoid the problem encountered in secondary sources, where the new author may distort and put their own spin on the findings of prior cited authors. Government records such as census are classified as primary sources and it provides an accurate and unbiased description of events. Choosing the right source whether primary or secondary source depends upon the author themselves as both of the sources may have benefit and disadvantages. To sum it up, primary sources give raw data while secondary sources help to understand primary sources, thus these both types of sources can be of equal importance in the conduct of a study.