algallikaid

Algallikaid is an Estonian term used in scholarship to denote primary or original sources of information. In historiography, archaeology, linguistics, and information science, algallikaid are the sources that provide direct evidence about a topic, event, or phenomenon, before interpretation or synthesis by later writers. They contrast with secondary sources, which summarize, analyze, or interpret the primary data.

The word derives from alg-, meaning "initial" or "principal", and allikas, meaning "source". The plural form algallikad is common, while algallikaid appears as a grammatical case form in running text, such as the partitive or genitive plural. The term is widely used in Estonian archives, libraries, and scholarly writing to identify the set of materials that researchers consult as original evidence.

Examples of algallikaid include official records (laws, court decisions, census data), archival documents, letters, diaries, manuscripts, photographs, audio and video recordings, inscriptions, and artifacts. In the digital age, digitized originals, be they scans or born-digital files, can also be considered algallikaid if they preserve the integrity of the original evidence.

Proper evaluation of algallikaid—authenticity, provenance, context, bias, and completeness—is central to source criticism. Citations to algallikaid enable verification and replication of findings.

See also: primary source, source criticism, archival science.