Primary & Secondary Sources
"The raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study."
Examples:
- Newspaper or magazine articles
- Books, pamphlets, government documents
- Diaries, letters, manuscripts, speeches, interviews, relics, artifacts
- Maps, archival materials, creative works
- Art, visual materials, music, sound recordings, videos
Adapted from Butler University Libraries. Source: Using Primary Sources by Library of Congress. / Image Source: Primary Source Graphic by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
"Accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience."
Examples:
- Publications (not 1st person perspective)
- Journal articles
- Books, textbooks
- Histories, criticisms, commentaries
- Reference materials, encyclopedias
Adapted from Butler University Libraries. Source: Using Primary Sources by Library of Congress. / Image Source: Secondary Source Graphic by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Scholarly, Trade, & Popular Articles
Narrowing or Broadening Topics
To Narrow Down a Research Topic:
- Theoretical Approach: Limit research to a particular approach or viewpoint
- Aspect or Sub-Area: Limit the topic to one piece of the subject
- Time: Limit the time span that you will examine
- Population: Limit by age, sex, race, occupation, species, ethnic group, or another identifiable factor
- Geographical: Limit research by geographical location
To Broaden a Research Topic:
- Try generalizing the search terms, as the topic may be too specific
- Search with synonyms of words within the topic
- Explore subject terms used in an article you find useful to search using the controlled vocabulary of experts
- Add more databases to the search or find additional database sources (i.e. JSTOR vs EBSCOhost)
- Check if topic is too new and information is mostly in news sources as breaking news