A Secondary source is a work written about an event or person after it has taken place. Some examples:
Examples:
In Academe, we are especially interested in a specific type of secondary source: Peer Reviewed Publications.
But what's the difference between scholarly, peer reviewed, popular, or refereed?
Scholarly: A source written by an expert, but not subjected to the peer review process.
Example: magazine articles (if written by expert), public presentations, reviews, opinion pieces.
Refereed: Academic work that has some level of vetting, usually by an editor or panel.
Example: Conference papers, journal articles that are approved by an editor but not external reviewers.
NOTE: refereed is often used interchangeably with Peer Reviewed by databases, but it isn't always the same.
Popular: Written for a wide readership. May or may not be written by a subject expert.
Examples: newspaper or magazine, popular press books, websites.
Peer Reviewed: Academic books and articles written by a specialist, reviewed by other experts, and published by an academic press.
Examples: Articles in academic journals, some conference papers, books published by university presses.
Look at this article. How do we know it's peer reviewed?
Linsin, Christopher E. 1996. “Skilled Slave Labor in Florida: 1850-1860.” Florida Historical Quarterly 75 (2): 183–96.