Supporting Claims in your I-Search Paper Understanding the difference between the use of Primary & Secondary Research

Two Kinds of Source Material ~Primary Sources: information “straight from the horses mouth”  original documents such as letters, diaries, legislative bills, laboratory studies, eyewitness accounts, interviews (tv, podcasts, etc.) ~Secondary Sources: information others have written on the topic  commentaries on primary sources (another sources opinion or interpretation of a primary source)  show the extent to which you agree or disagree with others who have written on the subject -great source for providing background info. **Watch out for bias!

Can a source be Primary & Secondary?? ***whether a source is primary or secondary depends on your topic 1)Topic: Company’s Chance for Financial Success – source: information and opinions of writers discussing the company in books and periodicals **secondary source 2)Topic: Evaluation of the Accuracy of the Forecasts about a Company source: information and opinions of writers discussing the company in books and periodicals **primary source Yes!!!

I-Search vs. Research ~in traditional research papers most of the investigation takes place in the library where the writer is primarily engaged in reading secondary research ~in the I-Search paper, half of your research comes from primary sources –sources you will personally interview and observe

Primary or Secondary Research Quiz

Directions: Determine whether the research material described is primary research or secondary research. On a separate sheet of paper, write (P) for primary research or (S) for secondary research.

_____1. An autobiography written by Martin Luther King about his life. _____ 2. Century of Change: America in Pictures published by Life Magazine. _____ 3. A book titled Basketball Greats by Joanne Mattern. _____ 4. A news segment with Katie Couric interviewing Al Gore about the effects of global warming on our planet. _____ 5. An interview with Robert Barren about his life as a gang member. _____ 6. The Diary of Anne Frank. _____ 7. A biography of Malcolm X written by Nikki Grimes. _____ 8. A People magazine article with interview with Kelly Preston about her life as an abused child.

_____ 9. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of _____ 10. A visit to the U.C. medical center. _____ 11. An article in Newsweek titled Growing Up With Autism. _____ 12. The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players by Pat Riley. _____ 13. A book written by George Winningham about the life of Bill Clinton. _____ 14. A scientific study measuring the temperature changes in the Atlantic Ocean over the past 100 years. _____ 15. The online Library of Congress