hovedkilde
Hovedkilde is a term used in Danish and Norwegian language contexts to designate the principal source of information for a study. In historiography and related disciplines, it is closely related to the concept of a primary source: original materials that provide direct evidence about a topic, as opposed to secondary sources that interpret or summarize such material.
Common types of hovedkilder include written documents such as diaries, letters, official records, laws, and minutes;
A key methodological consideration is provenance and authenticity: researchers assess authorship, dating, context, and potential biases,
In practice, researchers identify relevant hovedkilder, analyze their content, and situate findings within a broader scholarly
See also: primary source, secondary source, source criticism, archival research.