Kildemateriale

Kildemateriale, a Danish term meaning "source material," refers to material that forms the basis for analysis, reporting, or scholarship. It comprises primary sources such as documents, records, data sets, artifacts, and audio or video recordings, as well as field notes and interviews. It is distinguished from secondary sources, which interpret or analyse primary materials, and from tertiary sources, which compile or summarize such material.

Examples include archival documents, government records, research data, photographs, newspapers, and digital content such as emails or social media postings. The term is used across disciplines, including history, journalism, social sciences, and humanities, where kildemateriale is collected, assessed for authenticity, and cited to support claims.

Management and ethics: Kildemateriale should be documented with provenance and metadata to establish origin, date, and context. Researchers and journalists assess reliability, bias, gaps, and corroboration. Copyright, permissions, and licensing govern use and reproduction; privacy and consent considerations apply for sensitive material; in some cases, researchers rely on fair dealing or fair use provisions.

Access and preservation: Institutions may store kildemateriale in archives or repositories with controlled access and long-term preservation strategies. Open access and permissive licenses facilitate sharing, while access restrictions or embargoes may apply to sensitive data. Proper citation and archiving support transparency and reproducibility.

In scholarly and journalistic work, kildemateriale is essential for verification, accountability, and credible reporting.