1. Sources Diaries Letters Manuscripts Films Recordings
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
Diaries
Letters
Manuscripts
Films
Recordings
Objects such as clothing, tools, artifacts, etc.
Personal observation, experiment, interviews
Books, articles that discuss or analyze primary sources

2. Reasons for using secondary sources:
Keep up with latest research
Find differing perspectives / opinions on your material
Analysis, often by experts or scholars, of primary information

3. Sources to avoid Encyclopedias Dictionaries Wikipedia
These can be used, however, as a starting point for your research, to find out things like “Who was…?” or “What is…?”

4. Some strengths and weaknesses of sources
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
Strengths:
Can give insight into emotions
Can give insight into a thought process
Purpose is usually obvious
Weaknesses:
Objectivity can be questioned
Information can be limited in scope
Strengths:
Often a multitude of information, wide in scope
Differing perspectives give a broad picture
Weaknesses:
May be outdated
Research may not be directly relevant to your research

5. Keep track of all sources:
Become familiar with what information you will need to include for a “Works Cited” page or bibliography
See easybib.com for help
There are other online bibliography/works cited sources; use whatever you are familiar with