What distinguishes primary sources from secondary sources in research?

Primary sources are defined as original materials that have not been altered or interpreted. This means they provide firsthand accounts or direct evidence concerning a topic or event. Examples of primary sources include original documents, diaries, interviews, photographs, and original research articles.

In contrast, secondary sources analyze, interpret, or summarize information from primary sources. They provide the context, critique, or commentary on the original materials, making them valuable for understanding a topic but not offering the raw, unmediated data. Therefore, the distinction between primary and secondary sources hinges on the originality and directness of the information presented.

The other statements do not accurately reflect the definitions of primary and secondary sources. For instance, interpretations of data pertain to secondary sources, not primary. Similarly, secondary sources are not original materials but rather reflections or summaries of primary sources. Lastly, raw data is associated with primary sources, as they reveal the unprocessed information gathered directly from experiments or observations.