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Primary and Secondary Sources (Tutorial Script)

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Primary and Secondary Sources (Tutorial Script) Primary and Secondary Sources (tutorial script) Slide 1 Primary sources of information are generally firsthand or original accounts of an event. These sources offer an inside view to an event and are usually unedited and unevaluated. Secondary sources, on the other hand, interpret and analyze a primary source, by attempting to explain, analyze, or summarize it. Examples for Primary Sources include photographs, government documents, speeches, original research, letters, and maps. Some examples for Secondary Sources include textbooks, biographies, histories, editorials, literary criticisms, and books other than fiction or autobiographies. To identify primary sources, think about who created it. Is the person writing or creating this source the person who experienced the topic you are researching? Try to think of this concept as firsthand sources. Identifying Secondary Sources: Secondary sources analyze, interpret, or process primary sources, to provide general information on a topic and help you gain an understanding of a topic or issue. Think of them as secondhand sources. Slide 2 Let’s explore primary and secondary sources for specific subjects. Subject: Business Primary Source Example: A business plan. This document would be considered original and unique, making it a primary source. Secondary Source Example: A book about writing business plans. This document disucsses how to write business plans reflecting on principles and structures found in original documents. Subject: Criminal Justice Primary Source Example: Transcript of police interview. A transcript of a witness interview will provide information about what someone saw, it is not filtered, but a first-hand account. Secondary Source Example: A detective’s summary of an interview. This is the witness’s experiences through the detective’s perspective, making it a secondhand source. Subject: Education Primary Source Example: No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 – the actual legal document. Public law 107-100 – Jan. 8, 2002. Secondary Source Example: This type of newspaper analyzes or reflects on the No Child Left Behind Act. It takes the original source and interprets its effectiveness. Subject: English Primary Source Example: Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is an original piece of literature that has not been altered; it is in its original form as the writer created it. Secondary Source Example: This journal article analyzes Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, so it is a secondary source. Subject: History Primary Source Example: World War II letter. This is written by someone who directly experienced the war; therefore, it is a primary source because it is first hand. Secondary Source Example: Book about WWII. This book analyzes WWII and likely uses various primary sources to support findings; therefore, this is a secondary source. Subject: Healthcare Primary Source Example: An original research/experimentation study. Original research studies discover new findings, they do not explore other researchers’ findings. Oftentimes, the research study reports experiments. Secondary Source Example: A literature review of previously conducted studies. A literature review analyzes previous studies. These studies are referred to in the article and listed on the reference page. Slide 3 Common Misconceptions about Primary and Secondary Sources This short slideshow will address some common misconceptions about primary sources. Click on the “next” button to scroll through each slide. Misconception: A primary source is the main source you will use in your paper. This is a common mistake, but as you just learned, primary sources are first-hand accounts or sources, they are NOT the main or most important source you use in research or assignments. Misconception: Primary sources are always scholarly. Primary and secondary sources can be scholarly or non-scholarly. You will need to evaluate whether a source is scholarly independent of whether it is primary or secondary. Misconception: Primary sources are always 100% reliable. Primary sources are often subjective, an interpretation of a person’s experience. For this reason, primary sources should be reviewed for credibility; do not make the mistake of using any primary source you find. It could have some questionable information. For example, you would be wrong to assume that a letter written by a KKK member on race is an accurate representation of what everyone thought about race during the specific time period. Misconception: A primary source is a primary source no matter the discipline. Keep in mind that you will need to evaluate a source from the perspective of a discipline. For example, in the discipline of art, Da Vinci’s The Last Supper would be considered a primary source. However, in the discipline of religion, the painting would be considered a reflection or an interpretation of an event and is considered a secondary source. Slide 4 Activity: Click on each resource and decide if it is a primary or secondary source. Item: A copy of Aesop’s Fables Correct answer: Primary Source. Literary texts are primary sources. Item: John F. Kennedy’s birth certificate Correct answer: Primary Source. Government documents are usually considered primary sources. Item: Boeing’s quarterly earnings report Correct answer: Primary Source. This document is a report of original data. Item: Georgia’s 2010 census data. Correct answer: Primary Source. Data and statistics from government websites are generally considered primary sources. Item: An article analyzing the 1994 OJ Simpson trial. Correct answer: Secondary Source. This article analyzes and reflects on the trial. Item: The Declaration of Independence, a painting by John Trumbull, commissioned in 1817. Correct answer: Both! This painting could be a primary or secondary source, depending on the discipline. Slide 5 Congratulations! You have completed the Primary and Secondary Sources learning module. If you have further questions, please contact your instructor or the library. The library hours and contact information are located on the library website. .
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