Primary and Secondary Sources

1. Primary and Secondary Sources …needed for writing great research papers.

2. Primary Sources Contemporary (happening now) Accounts of an event written by the person who witnessed or experienced it. FIRST HAND! Original Documents, Unpublished – not about another document or account Published works - as long as they are written soon after the fact and not as historical accounts

3. Primary Sources • Primary sources are first-hand information such as: • Diaries, journals • Speeches, interviews • Photos, paintings • Documents, such as tax records, deeds, birth certificates, etc. • Autobiography, internet blogs

4. Secondary Sources • Sources where other secondary and primary sources have been rewritten. • Encyclopedia articles • Biographies • Almanacs • Internet sites such as Wikipedia

5. Primary Sources Diaries Letters Memoirs Journals Speeches Manuscripts Statistical Data Interviews Photographs Audio or video recordings Research reports (natural or social sciences) Original literary or theatrical works Include:

6. Secondary Sources Interpret primary sources - at least one step removed from the event or phenomenon under review Examination of studies that other researchers have made of a subject Second Hand - conveys the experiences and opinions of others

7. Secondary Sources Usually in the form of published works Journal articles Books Radio and TV documentaries

8. Secondary Sources • Sources where information comes from other secondary and primary sources. They have been rewritten. • Encyclopedia articles • Biographies • Almanacs • Internet sites such as Wikipedia

9. Internet Sources • ….can be primary or secondary. It depends on the information and how it is presented. • A blog would be primary. The author is presenting their own thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The information you get from the blog may or may not be reliable. Be careful • Any information of the computer that is rewritten from other sources is secondary. • Be sure to give credit where credit is due. If it is not your work, then it needs a citation. Even on the internet.

10. How do you know? Ask yourself some questions: How does the author know these details? Was the author present at the event or soon on the scene? Where does this information come from—personal experience, eyewitness accounts, or reports written by others? Are the author's conclusions based on a single piece of evidence, or have many sources been taken into account?

11. Citations • In order to avoid plagiarism, you must cite your sources. Bibliography Okuda, Michael, and Denise Okuda. Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future. New York: Pocket, 1993. Print.

12. Citing Internet Sources • How to cite electronic documents:Citing a Web page: Author(s). Name of Page. Date of Posting or Revision. Date of Access. <electronic address>. Use the complete name of cite as in http://www.source.com/page6.aspl Citing an online magazine or article: Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume. Issue (Year): Pages/Paragraphs. Date of Access <electronic address>. Use complete dates if possible, not just volume and number.  If available, use paragraph numbers. Citing email: Author. "Title of Posting." Online posting. Date. Name of listserv. Date of access <electronic address for retrieval>. Citing an online database: • Provide the bibliographic data for the original source as for any other of its type, then add the name of the database along with the important data (such as version number or abstract number). • Examples • Smith, John. Abortion Arguments. 1997. 01 Jul. 1998 <http://www.abortionfacts.com/abortion.aspl> • Smith, Jill. "Abortion and Breast Cancer." Journal of Abortion Complications 3 (1998): 12 pars. 01 Jul. 1998 <http://www.abortionfacts.com.aspl/>.

13. For more information… Library Research: Finding Primary Sources. Berkeley: Library, University of California, Berkeley.http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html Research Skills Tutorial: Primary Research. Toronto: Gerstein Science Information Centre. http://www.library.utoronto.ca/gerstein/tutorial/primary_research1.html Primary and Secondary Sources. Ithaca College. http://www.ithaca.edu/library/course/primary.html

14. 10 A biography is a: • Primary Source • Secondary Source

15. 10 An internet blog is a: • Primary Source • Secondary Source

16. 10 Wikipedia is a: • Primary Source • Secondary Source

17. 10 Wikipedia is reliable? • Yes • No

18. 10 An encyclopedia entry is a: • Primary Source • Secondary Source

19. 10 An encyclopedia entry is reliable? • Yes • No

20. 10 An original E-mail from President Obama to Vice-President Biden is a: • Primary Source • Secondary Source

21. 10 An E-mail from President Obama to Vice-President Biden included in a biography of President Obama is a: • Secondary Source • Primary Source

22. 10 An original letter from President Lincoln to his wife is a: • Primary Source • Secondary Source

23. 10 The original deed to Dr. King’s house is a: • Primary Source • Secondary Source

24. 10 An almanac is a: • Primary Source • Secondary Source