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October 2026 - Types of Sources Study Guide for nursing students in
A primary source is first-hand evidence from the time. A secondary source interprets primary material. A tertiary source compiles both. The test is not what kind of document it is but how close it stands to the event — the same document can be primary for one question and secondary for another.
The three categories
| Type | Relationship to the event | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | First-hand, created at the time or by a participant | A nurse's own chart entry, raw study data, a diary, a photograph, an interview transcript, legislation |
| Secondary | Describes, analyses or interprets primary material | A journal article reviewing several trials, a textbook chapter, a news report of a study, a biography |
| Tertiary | Compiles and summarises the other two | An encyclopaedia, an index, a bibliography, a clinical handbook of guidelines |
Why the same document changes category
Category depends on the question you are asking, not on the shape of the document. A 1955 textbook chapter on infection control is a secondary source about infection control — it interprets other people's work. But if your question is what nurses were taught in 1955, that same chapter becomes primary evidence, because it is a first-hand artefact of the teaching of the time.
When a question seems to have two defensible answers, ask what is being investigated. That resolves it every time.
A research article usually contains both. The methods and results sections report the authors' own data, which is primary. The introduction and discussion review other people's work, which is secondary. That is why "a journal article" alone is not enough information to categorise anything.
Judging a source, not just labelling it
The exam also asks which source is most credible for a purpose. Four things decide it.
- Who wrote it, and what expertise or stake they have in the answer.
- When — currency matters more in clinical guidance than in history.
- Where it was published, and whether anything reviewed it before publication.
- Why — a document written to inform is weighed differently from one written to sell or to campaign.
Terms to know
- Primary source
- First-hand evidence created at the time or by a participant.
- Secondary source
- A work that describes, analyses or interprets primary material.
- Tertiary source
- A work that compiles and summarises primary and secondary sources.
- Peer review
- Evaluation by other specialists before publication. A marker of credibility, not a guarantee.
- Bias
- A stake in the conclusion that may shape what a source reports.
- Currency
- How up to date a source is — decisive for clinical guidance.
What the TEAS asks most
The same core ideas appear in different wording. If you can answer these without stopping to think, you have what this section requires.
Which of these is a primary source?
The first-hand one: raw data, an eyewitness account, an original document — not a description of any of them.
Which source would be most appropriate for this task?
Match the source to the question: an overview needs tertiary, evidence needs primary, interpretation needs secondary.
Which source is most credible here?
Weigh author, date, place of publication and motive together. Peer-reviewed and recent usually wins for clinical claims.
Key points
- Primary is first-hand, secondary interprets, tertiary compiles.
- The category depends on the question being asked, not the document type.
- A research article is primary in its results and secondary in its literature review.
- Credibility is a separate judgement from category: author, date, venue, motive.
- A textbook is secondary for its subject and primary evidence of its own era.
Review quiz
4 questions on this topic, each with the reasoning worked through. Pick an answer to see how it went, or open the explanation straight away.
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Question 1 of 4
Which of the following is a primary source for a study of how a hospital managed a norovirus outbreak in 2019?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. The ward's daily infection logs from the outbreak
The logs were created at the time by the people involved, which is what makes a source primary. The textbook chapter and news article both interpret other people's material, and an encyclopaedia entry compiles existing work, placing it in the tertiary category.
-
Question 2 of 4
A researcher asks what student nurses were taught about pain management in the 1970s. What kind of source is a 1974 nursing textbook for that question?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Primary, because it is a first-hand artefact of the teaching of that period
The question is about the teaching itself, and the textbook is direct evidence of it, so for this purpose it is primary. It would be secondary for a question about pain management as such — which is precisely the point that the category follows the question, not the document.
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Question 3 of 4
Which part of a published research article is a primary source?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. The results, which report the authors' own data
The results are the authors' own first-hand data, which is primary by definition. Introductions and discussions summarise and interpret other people's work, making them secondary, and a reference list is a compilation — tertiary.
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Question 4 of 4
A student needs a quick overview of an unfamiliar condition before reading the research on it. Which source type is most appropriate as a starting point?
Show the answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. A tertiary source, such as an encyclopaedia or clinical handbook
Tertiary sources exist to give exactly this kind of compiled orientation before deeper reading. Raw data and a personal account are both primary evidence that assume you already know the shape of the subject, and an unpublished abstract is a thin, unreviewed starting point.
Put this TEAS topic into practice
Build a set on types of sources and use the rationale on every question to reinforce what you just reviewed.
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