Primary source
Original evidence closest to the claim being investigated, such as code, raw data, or a transcript.
Illustrative conversation
- The blog says the API supports this option. Is that enough?
- Use the provider's API reference or the implementation itself as the primary source for that capability.
Definition
A primary source is original evidence produced by the system, author, event, or organization under study. In software work it can include source code, raw logs, a dataset, a contract, an API specification, a complete transcript, or a vendor's own release note. What counts as primary depends on the question, so reviewers should identify the claim first and prefer the closest available evidence.
Reviewed