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International Students' Library Guide: Source Evaluation and Engagment

This guide is for all international students to assist with your information and research needs.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

Criteria

Use Primary Sources To Help You...

Use Secondary Sources To Help You...

Understand

Gain a contemporary understanding of a subject

Get background information about or a synopsis of a subject

Interpret

Interpret information YOURSELF
(Note: some primary sources can be difficult to understand)

Get help from scholars who might be more specialized in a subject (Note: Be aware of possible source bias)

Write

Write an essay that requires you to express
your original understanding of a subject

Write an essay that requires you to report on what
others have said about a subject (and perhaps defend YOUR informed opinion)
  • Most researchers will benefit from using a combination of primary and secondary sources
  • Some materials share features of BOTH primary and secondary sources
    -Ex. The Norton Critical Edition of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville contains an original novel (primary sources) and scholarly essays about that novel (secondary sources)
  • Some materials could be considered primary OR secondary, depending upon the research focus
    -Ex. The article “After 9/11: Goal Disruption, Emotional Support, and Psychological Health in a Lower Exposure Sample,” by MacGeorge et al., a scholarly research study published in 2007
    -Secondary source for a history paper on the significance of 9/11)
    -Primary source for a medical paper on post-traumatic stress reactions to acts of terrorism

Popular vs. Scholarly Sources - What Is the Difference?

Criteria

Popular Magazines

Scholarly Journal

Audience

General Public

Scholars, students, and professionals

Appearance

Lots of color, advertising, illustrations, short articles

Mostly text, black & white, graphs & charts, long articles with bibliographies & footnotes

Content

Feature articles on timely topics; written for a general audience in a language that is easy to understand

researched and footnoted articles; written for a specialized audience
in a vocabulary that is not easily understood by the average reader

Author(ity)

written by staff & freelance writers; checked by editors

authored by researchers, academics, specialists; peer-reviewed

Examples

Time; Business Week; People

The Journal of American History; Signs

 

IF I APPLY Source Evaluation

 

Often we seek information that confirms our own thoughts and feelings towards a topic. This is NOT RESEARCH. Research and learning comes from finding sources that speak to the truth of a topic, no matter how much it hurts 

Only by keeping personal biases in check can you begin to vet information for credibility.

These steps will help you find sources that are credible and reliable in your research process.

Personal Steps

 

Identify emotions attached to the topic.

 

Find unbiased reference sources that will provide an overview of the topic.

 

Intellectual courage is needed to seek authoritative voices on the topic.

Source Steps

 

Authority established. Does the author have the education or expertise?

 

Purpose/Point of view. Does the author have an agenda beyond education or information?

 

Publisher? Does the publisher have an agenda?

 

List of sources. Is the evidence reliable, sensible, and accessible?

 

Year of publication. Does the date of publication affect the information?