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THIST 475 Twentieth Century British History - Sundermann: Tertiary Sources

What is a tertiary source?

A tertiary source gives a brief "bird's eye view" overview of a historic event, person, place, or movement. These are often written by scholars and can range from a few sentences to a page in length. They are helpful for:

  • Getting a basic understanding of a topic
  • Exploring a topic and discovering more specific directions you might go in
  • Understanding the timeline and context of an event or movement

Tertiary sources include:

  • Encyclopedias
  • Dictionaries

Start here: tertiary sources