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Secondary sources

Secondary sources. Building on previous reports. The first draft of history. Journalism is often called “the first draft of history” because it is the first reporting on an event/person/issue . Primary sources: Official reports. Secondary sources are previous reporting on an issue.

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Secondary sources

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  1. Secondary sources Building on previous reports

  2. The first draft of history • Journalism is often called “the first draft of history” because it is the first reporting on an event/person/issue. • Primary sources: Official reports. • Secondary sources are previous reporting on an issue. • Newspapers, magazines, books, broadcast reports.

  3. A starting point • Seeing what has been reported previously on an issue can lend insight or yield a pattern. • Be careful when using secondary sources, though – what is reported may be inaccurate. • Check to see if there were any corrections, follow-ups, etc. • Can I talk to the original reporter?

  4. Newspapers • Check the paper’s website or, you may physically visit its “morgue.” • Good place for info that may be part of your story. In addition to issues and government coverage:- birth announcements, wedding announcements, obituaries, police blotter, legal notices (estates, property sales, divorces, name changes.)

  5. Broadcast reports • More broadcast reports are available online all the time. • In addition to the video/audio component, adding written accounts. • YouTube

  6. Magazines • Many magazines are making their entire archives of back issues available for research online. • Similar to newspapers, can you find out the start of the story? Talk to the reporter who worked on the original? Or an editor who guided coverage? • Most will be willing to help you.

  7. Trade publications/newsletters • These can be very helpful, similar to newspapers in that they may contain valuable bits of info – work backgrounds, awards, citations, major industry developments. • The people who work at these are usually quite excited about what they cover, willing to talk.

  8. Reference books • Dry, but valuable sources of names, dates, places – basic facts. • Phone books, business directories, reverse directories, property records. • Current editions of these often online. Previous editions you may have to track down in printed form.

  9. Books • Regular old books may be unique to a particular topic – local histories.- Local history author a good source • Can quickly scan appendixes, bibliographies, endnotes for specific references helpful to your topic.

  10. Library searches, dissertations • Scholarly work – dissertations, theses – are held at university libraries and can be valuable sources. • Reference librarians can be quite helpful in avoiding a bunch of wasted energy searching. They can quickly help you focus your research.

  11. Conducting the search • In searching for secondary sources, the Internet is a quick tool at your fingertips. • But you may have to try several different searches/angles to find what you are looking for. • Use search engines properly and effectively.

  12. Key word searches • Often if you check specific disciplines, you can get help searching by key words:- Institute for Scientific Information- Social Sciences Citation Index- Arts and Humanities Citation Index • Check for the specific discipline to cut down on search time.

  13. Databases • LexisNexis and others (Dialog, Factiva.com) provide access to databases produced by hundreds of organizations. • Great for searching, but … • Many of these are pay services.

  14. Web free • Lots of information is available for free online; lots of good information also costs money to find. • Couple paragraphs of a story may be available, then have to pay for the rest. • Or, an archived article may cost money.

  15. So … • Database giants like LexisNexis are great, if you can use them. • But if cost is an issue, you may have to find another way. • Try to go right to the source – narrow the search before you search. For example – Michigan crime statistics database on state website rather than just a general Michigan crime search.

  16. To summarize • Secondary sources can be a good starting point for a story. • Follow the trail of stories. • Verify that what was reported is accurate. • Can you talk to the original reporter/editor? They may have some insight that is helpful.

  17. To summarize, cont. • Key word searches can draw quick results, but if not, try many different combinations/words to see what you unearth. • Commercial databases are great, but not always available.

  18. Questions?

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