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Faculty Toolkit for Research Paper Alternatives

Locating Sources

Locating and assessing sources is an essential skill for any scholar.  Introducing a locating sources assignment will familiarize your students with the vast array of resources they will encounter as they pursue their own research.

Assignment: compare primary and secondary sources on a topic. Have students find an article in a secondary source and then locate one of the cited primary sources.

Objective: students identify and evaluate the differences between scholarly sources. Demonstrates when and why to use each in their own scholarship.

Sample assignment

Infographic about primary sources

Infographic about secondary sources

 

Accessibility View

Primary Sources
  • What are primary sources? Primary sources are original documents and objects created during the time period being studied. They include personal interviews, original documents and surveys.
  • Why use primary sources? Using primary sources shows that you have gathered information from the originator of the ideas rather than relying on other people's interpretations of those ideas.
Secondary Sources:
  • What are secondary sources? Secondary sources interpret, analyze or summarize primary sources by means of commentary on a or discussion of the evidence.
  • Common types include scholarly articles, history books, documentaries, etc.
 

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