Research Guides (LibGuides): English LibGuide: Evaluating Sources

Examples

Is it a Primary or Secondary Source?

SUBJECT	PRIMARY	SECONDARY
Art and Architecture	Painting by Georgia O'Keeffe	Article critiquing art piece
Physical/Life Sciences	Jane Goodall's Autobiography	Meg Greene's: Jane Goodall: a Biography
Engineering/Physical Sciences	Patent	NTIS database
Humanities	Letters by Martin Luther King	Web site on King's writings
Social Sciences	Notes taken by clinical psychologist	Magazine article about the psychological condition
Performing Arts	Movie filmed in 1942	Biography of the director

From https://lib.guides.umd.edu/researchusingprimarysources

Types of Information Sources

Types of Secondary Sources

As you conduct literary research, be sure to ask your instructor what type of information they are looking for you to use to support your arguments and analysis. Are you to use scholarly, research-based articles? Trade or general readership sources/sites? What about primary sources? The chart below analyzes the different types of secondary research/sources.

For more information:

Evaluating Web Pages by UC Berkeley

Evaluating Journals

English LibGuide

Special Collections Associate (Liaison Librarian)

Examples

Is it a Primary or Secondary Source?

Types of Information Sources

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