Download Determine if a source is primary or secondary and find

Determine if a source is primary or secondary and
find primary sources?
• Primary sources:
Definition:
First hand accounts or original sources that
include such things as:



Creative works such as literature, music,
art, film, etc.
Eyewitness accounts or the first record of
events such as a diary, news footage of an
event, or records of an organization
Data from original research whether
statistical or scientific
Examples of primary sources:
• Diaries, journals, speeches, letters, notes and other
manuscripts of individuals
• Autobiographies or memoirs of an individual
• Original published materials: that are reports of academic
or professional research such as books and journal
articles; that are popular literature; or that record events
that happened at the time of the event
• Photographs, films or movies, audio tapes, video
recordings that are original works or record an event as it
happened
• Various kinds of records of organizations or agencies
• Artifact of many types such as buildings, furniture,
clothing, etc.
• Information, statistics, and records collected by
governments
• Secondary sources:
Definition:
Works that are second hand or that
analyze, interpret, or describe a
historical event, a creative work, a
research report or other type of
primary source.
Examples of secondary sources:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Encyclopedias
Textbooks
Directories and fact books
Commentaries
Biographical dictionaries
Book reviews
Articles that analyze, interpret, or critique a work of
literature, an art work, or a scientific or sociological
study, a historical or political events, or trends in
popular culture
Examples of Primary and Secondary Sources:
Discipline
Primary Source
Secondary Source
Art
A piece of sculpture
Critique of the sculptor’s work
Literature
A novel
Critical study of the novel
Music
The recordings of
Elvis Presley
A history of popular music
History
Letters of a President
A study of the economic
policy of a President
Sociology
Labor Union documents
An article on women in the
workforce
Science
Data and results of a
scientific experiment
(as reported in a journal
article, lab notebook, etc.)
An article in a popular
magazine reviewing the
results of the experiment
Communications
Videotape of the 9/11
attack on the World
Trade Center
Book that describes and
analyses that day and its
effects on the United States
1. How to find primary sources:
 In the library catalog or databases:
- For works of literature or art
- For historical research
- For the social sciences or sciences

On the World Wide Web
How do you search for primary sources?
• In the Library Catalog:
a. For works of literature or art:
Do an author search in the online catalog, using the
author or artist’s name. Results: works by that author
b. For historical research:
• For research on a person, do a subject
search using the person’s name (last name,
first name) and look for one of the following
subheadings under the person’s name in the
subject list:
- Correspondence
- Diaries
- Interviews
- Sermons
- Sources
Examine the example of this search on the
next page!
This is the search in the C-N Library Catalog:
Reagan, Ronald - Correspondence
These are the results of the search in the
C-N Library Catalog:
• For research on historical events or
periods, do a keyword search first, using
the name of the event or era. Look at the
“Subjects” in the record to get the Library
of Congress subject heading. Then use
that subject heading in a subject search
and look for one of the following
subheadings listed under the subject:
- Correspondence
- Diaries
- Interviews
- Personal narratives
- Sources
See the examples on the following pages!
This is the search in the C-N Library Catalog:
This is one of the results:
First, scroll down in the catalog record to the heading on
the left hand side: Subject
After finding the subject heading that is closest to your topic,
Slavery -- United States,
do a subject search in the library catalog using that heading
and look for the subheadings such as personal narratives,
etc. Look at the example below:
Another way to find the correct subject heading for doing a
subject search is to use the Library of Congress Subject
Heading books. For assistance, ask a librarian.
• In the library databases:
a. Databases that are primary source collections:
– Art and Photography:
ArtSTOR
Photo Study Collection
– Literature:
Literature Online
LitFinder
– History and Multidisciplinary:
American Civil War: Letters and Diaries
Early Encounters in North America
Evans Early American Imprints
History Resource Center
North American Women’s Letters and Diaries
– News:
Newsbank
– Statistics:
Polling the Nations
b. Searching databases for primary research:
• Select the database appropriate to your topic
(See Databases by Subject).
• If you wanted primary research on adolescent
pregnancy, you might select a psychology
database. Select “Databases by Subject” on the
Library homepage. Then select: Psychology
• Select PsycINFO. Limit your search to: Peer
Reviewed. Enter your search term.
• Examine the articles to verify that they give you
the research purpose, methodology, and results.
• These articles will meet the scholarly or peer
reviewed journal article guidelines.
• See example on next page.
• On the World Wide Web:
a. Using Primary Sources on the Web
b. Repositories of Primary Sources
c. Searching for primary source materials on a topic:
1. Use a web search engine such as Google.
2. Use the following example for your search statement:
topic and primary sources