In the context of analyzing literature, the work under study is the primary source, while anything written about the work, author, genre, etc is a secondary source.
| Primary Sources | Secondary Sources |
| Short Story | Plot Summary or Overview |
| Poem | Journal Article |
| Novel | Criticism |
| Biography of Author | |
| Reviews | |
| Study Guides | |
Determining if a source is primary or secondary can sometimes be tricky, and can even depend on how you are using the source. Check out this toolkit for more advanced help with understanding the differences between primary and secondary sources.