Source may refer to:

Research

Historical document Historical documents are original documents that contain important historical information about a person, place, or event and can thus serve as primary sources as important ingredients of the historical methodology. Significant historical docume ...

Historical source A historical source encompasses "every kind of evidence that human beings have left of their past activities — the written word and spoken word, the shape of the landscape and the material artefact, the fine arts as well as photography and film." ...

Source (intelligence) A source or subsource in intelligence is typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence Open source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (overt sources and publicly available i ...

or sub source, typically a confidential provider of non open-source intelligence *

Source (journalism) In journalism, a source is a person, publication, or knowledge of other record or document that gives timely information. Outside journalism, sources are sometimes known as "news sources". Examples of sources include official records, publicati ...

, a person, publication, publishing institute or other record or document that gives information *

Source document A source document is a document in which data collected for a clinical trial is first recorded. This data is usually later entered in the case report form. The International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration ...

, a document in which data collected for a clinical trial is first recorded *

Source text A source text is a text (sometimes oral) from which information or ideas are derived. In translation, a source text is the original text that is to be translated into another language. More generally, source material or symbolic sources are ob ...

, in research (especially in the humanities), a source of information referred to by citation **

Primary source In the study of history as an academic discipline, a primary source (also called an original source) is an Artifact (archaeology), artifact, document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, recording, or any other source of information that was cre ...

, a first-hand written evidence of history made at the time of the event by someone who was present **

Secondary source In Scholarly method, scholarship, a secondary sourcePrimary, secondary and tertiar ...

, a written account of history based upon the evidence from primary sources **

Tertiary source A tertiary source is an index or textual consolidation of already published primary and secondary sourcesSources (website) Sources is a web portal for journalists, freelance writers, editors, authors and researchers, focusing especially on human sources: experts and spokespersons who are prepared to answer Reporters' questions or make themselves available for on-air ...

, a directory of expert contacts and media spokespersons *

Open source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...

, a philosophy of dissemination of intellectual products

Law

Sources of international law International law, also known as "law of nations", refers to the body of rules which regulate the conduct of sovereign states in their relations with one another. Sources of international law include treaties, international customs, general wi ...

, the materials and processes out of which the rules and principles regulating the international community are developed *

Sources of law Sources of law are the origins of laws, the binding rules that enable any state to govern its territory. The terminology was already used in Rome by Cicero as a metaphor referring to the "fountain" ("fons" in Latin) of law. Technically, anything ...

, the materials and processes out of which law is developed

Mathematics and physics

Sources and sinks In the physical sciences, engineering and mathematics, sources and sinks is an analogy used to describe properties of vector fields. It generalizes the idea of fluid sources and sinks (like the faucet and drain of a bathtub) across different sci ...

a general mathematical analogy used in science * Source of a

morphism In mathematics, a morphism is a concept of category theory that generalizes structure-preserving maps such as homomorphism between algebraic structures, functions from a set to another set, and continuous functions between topological spaces. Al ...

* Source, a point where the divergence of a vector field is positive * Source of a representation, in finite group theory * Source, a terminal in a field-effect transistor * Current source, an electrical or electronic device that delivers or absorbs electric current * Energy sources, substances or processes with high concentrations of energy * Ion source, a device that creates atomic and molecular ions * Light source, an object emitting light * Point source, a single identifiable localised source of something * Radioactive source, a known quantity of a radionuclide which emits ionizing radiation * Sound source, an object emitting sound#Sound sources, sound * Voltage source, any device or system that produces an electromotive force between its terminals

Computing and technology

* Source (command), a UNIX command to execute commands from a file * Communication source, objects which encode message data and transmit the information * Source code, a file containing code for software written in a programming language * Source theory, any process that generates successive messages in information theory#Source theory, information theory * Source (programming language), a family of sublanguages of JavaScript to support Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, JavaScript Adaptation

Earth and life sciences

* Inflow (hydrology), the source of the water in a lake * Source (hydrology), the original point from which a river or stream flows * Source rocks, rocks that have generated, or are capable of generating hydrocarbons * Source tissue, plant tissue serving as a source of nutrients; for example see Somatic embryogenesis

Art and entertainment

Fictional entities

* Source (comics), a sentient entity who provides advice to the New Gods in the DC Multiverse

Games

* Source (game engine), a game engine developed by Valve ** Source 2, the successor to Source * ''Counter-Strike: Source'', a 2004 complete remake of ''Counter-Strike'' using the Source game engine * ''Day of Defeat: Source'', a 2005 complete remake of ''Day of Defeat'' using the Source game engine

Music

* Source (album), ''Source'' (album), a 2020 album by Nubya Garcia, or the title song * ''Source'', a 2003 album by the Duskfall * "Source", a song by Tycho from his 2016 album ''Epoch (Tycho album), Epoch''

Periodicals

* Source (lifestyle magazine), ''Source'' (lifestyle magazine), a bi-monthly magazine published by the John Lewis Partnership * Source (photography magazine), ''Source'' (photography magazine), a quarterly photography magazine * ''Sources: A Journal of Jewish Ideas'', published by the Shalom Hartman Institute

Visual arts

* Source (1/3), ''Source'' (1/3), public artwork by U.S. artist Tony Smith

Organizations

* Source (UNSW), a community service provider that used to operate at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia * Source Family (1922–1975), a commune outside of 1970's Hollywood * Source Vagabond Systems, an Israeli manufacturer using the brand "SOURCE"

Places

* natural spring * headwaters * Les Sources (), Estrie, Quebec, Canada; a regional county municipality * Des Sources station (), Montreal, Quebec, Canada; a light rail station * Boulevard Des Sources (), Montreal, Quebec, Canada; a large street

Other uses

* Operation Source, a series of attacks on German warships in 1943 * Absolute (philosophy), or the source, as the absolute principle of being