Spence School Library: 2021 Fall Elective: American Cultural History: Source Identification

Tertiary Sources

Types of Secondary Sources

Print or Electronic.

Books can be edited compilations are works by a single or group of authors. High School students should look for books by scholarly presses.

Scholarly Journal Articles: Scholarly or peer-reviewed journal articles are written by scholars or professionals who are experts in their fields. In the humanities they are often secondary sources unless they were written during the time period being studied.

Primary Sources

How to Read a Footnote or Bibliography

CHICAGO DOCUMENTATION STYLE: BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE
Created by the Center for Writing at the University of Minnesota.
CHICAGO DOCUMENTATION STYLE: FOOTNOTES/ENDNOTES
Created by the Center for Writing, University of Minnesota.

Using a Variety of Sources

Try to find a variety of sources that answer your question. For secondary sources, always use vetted, scholarly sources and try not to rely exclusively on one source. Remember you are using sources to build your own argument and add your own analysis.

Primary sources enable a researcher to analyze evidence created during the time period without relying on the viewpoints of scholars. When searching for primary sources, seek different viewpoints about your topic. The better your sources, the better your research paper will be!

Source Order

Specificity of Sources

Encyclopedias provide a general overview of a topic in the context of World History. Scholarly articles focus on specific, targeted details about a narrow topic.

Images from "Thinking Critically about Information: “Good” and “Bad” Source Types" PowerPoint created by Kevin Klipfel, Information Literacy Coordinator, California State University, Chico. Contact: kklipfel@csuchico.edu.