Writing a dissertation requires doing a lot of research and reading, and your dissertation is the evidence you provide to show that you have done this work, have understood on a deep level what you have read, and are able to contribute meaningfully to the existing discourse.
The Problem
In order to maintain your integrity as a growing expert, you should fulfill this expectation by actually reading the sources you cite in your work and claim to understand. That is, you should always try to read a source yourself rather than rely on any other sources that cite, quote, and discuss that source.
It may come across as lazy if you solely rely on another author’s interpretation of a primary source, and it also limits what you can do with the source when you only have and write about what the other author has provided of the source and said about it. Unless that source is obscure, out of print, in another language, or otherwise unobtainable, make the effort to find and read the original source yourself so that you can discuss it in your own words rather than through the lens of another author. If you don’t have immediate access to a source, use your institution’s Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services to get it from somewhere else.
The Guidelines
If you must rely on a secondary source, you should not obfuscate the fact that you haven’t read the source directly by citing the original source and copying the citation provided by the secondary source you are actually using. Trying to give the impression that you’ve done the reading while copying the work of others is dishonest and unethical and wouldn’t be acceptable for an undergrad. Cite the source you actually use. You can find the guidelines for how to cite a primary source through a secondary source in your style’s manual (APA covers it in Section 8.6).
Some Tough Love
You should value both honesty and diligence as a scholar, and if for whatever reason you are going to rely on a secondary source to talk about a different source, you have an obligation to be honest about that. If you pretend that you read the primary source but only discuss it in terms provided by a secondary source, a reader who is attentive to details and traces your sources will be able to figure that out, and it will damage your credibility. I as an editor have figured this out many times, so if someone who is not an expert in the field can do it, you had better believe someone who knows the field better will too!
So take care while you research and while you write that you do your due diligence and take your ethos seriously!
