Primary sources.

Question 1

What sources can be primary, secondary, or tertiary.

Answer 1

Popular and Scholarly sources.

Question 2

What is a Primary Source?

Answer 2

Primary sources are texts that arise directly from a particular event or time period. can be popular (if published in newspapers, magazines or websites for the general public) or academic (if written by scholars and published in scholarly journals).

Question 3

What type of research has not yet been critiqued, interpreted or analyzed by a second (or third, etc) party.

Answer 3

Primary research

Question 4

Examples of primary sources:

Answer 4

journals, diaries
blog posts
a speech
data from surveys or polls
scholarly journal articles in which the author(s) discuss the methods and results from their own original research/experiments
photos, videos, sound recordings
interviews or transcripts
poems, paintings, sculptures, songs or other works of art
government documents (such as reports of legislative sessions, laws or court decisions, financial or economic reports, and more)
Newspaper and Magazine articles that report directly on current events (although these can also be considered Secondary)
Investigative journalism (sometimes considered Secondary as well)

Question 5

What is a Secondary Source?

Answer 5

Secondary sources summarize, interpret, critique, analyze, or offer commentary on primary sources. The author of a secondary source may be speaking on information from someone else’s research or offering an interpretation or opinion on current events. Thus, the secondary source is one step away from that original, primary research

Secondary sources can be popular (if published in newspapers, magazines or websites for the general public) or academic (if written by scholars and published in scholarly journals).

Question 6

Examples of secondary sources:

Answer 6

book, movie or art reviews
summaries of the findings from other people’s research
interpretations or analyses of primary source materials or other people’s research
histories or biographies
political commentary
Newspaper and Magazine articles that mainly synthesize others’ research or primary materials (remember, newspaper and magazine articles can also be considered primary, depending on the content)

Question 7

What is a Tertiary Source?

Answer 7

Tertiary sources are syntheses of primary and secondary sources. The person/people who compose a tertiary text are summarizing, others’ work.
sometimes do not list an author. Can be hard to catagorize something as specifally tertiary. s
trive to only use tertiary sources to find more academic sources, Tertiary sources can be popular or academic depending on the content and publisher.

Question 8

Examples of tertiary sources include:

Answer 8

encyclopedias
fact books
dictionaries
guides
handbooks
Wikipedia

Question 9

Thinking about Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Sources and your Research Strategy

Answer 9

What kinds of primary sources would be useful for your research project? Why? Where will you find them? Are you more interested in popular primary sources or scholarly primary sources — and why? Same for secondary and tertiary.

Question 10

What is a Popular Source?

Answer 10

Popular does not equate to well liked. Popular sources are articles that are written for a general audience. (sometimes free, sometimes paid prescription.)

Question 11

How should you approach Popular sources?

Answer 11

We should not be tempted to write off all popular sources as somehow “bad.” due to fake news/ media bias claims. We should evalute popular sources credibility before using for academic assignment.

Question 12

How can we evaluate newspaper, magazine, and website sources?

Answer 12

Use rhetorical reading skills

Question 13

Understand the Context

Answer 13

Publisher. Who published this article? Remember that a publisher is not always the same as the author of a particular text. Does the publishing source cater to a particular audience? Does the publisher have some sort of ideological identity or bias? A bit of research on who published the article you are looking at (which newspaper. magazine, website, or organization) can give you some insight into any purpose or agenda that may shape the content of the article.

Author. Is the author an expert on the topic? A journalist? Someone who has direct experience with the topic or someone who is offering second hand commentary or analysis?

Question 14

Assess the Quality of the Text

Answer 14

Identify the author’s main claim. Pay attention to what the author uses to support his or her claim – do you see relevant, evidence-based support or just emotional examples?

Do you see statistics used consistently and fairly, with an explanation of where they came from?
Does the author consider opposing viewpoints, and if so, how thoroughly?
Do you see logical fallacies in the author’s argument?

Question 15

Assess the Quality of the Explanation, if the article is explanatory

Answer 15

Identify the author’s thesis. Pay attention to how balanced the author’s explanation is – does he or she present all sides equally so as to avoid clear judgement? Does the author effectively summarize sources used? (Please note that magazine and newspaper writing style does not require the types of in-text citations that we use in our papers).

Question 16

Currency

Answer 16

Depending on the information you are using, the currency of the site could be vital. Check for the date of publication or the date of the latest update. Most of the links on a website should also still work – if they no longer do, that may be a sign the site is too out of date to be useful.

Question 17

Relevance

Answer 17

Perhaps the article is interesting or easy to read. But is there something about the text itself or its context that makes it useful for your assignment?

Question 18

Academic sources (also called scholarly sources)

Answer 18

It is generally only in college that we get exposure and access to scholarly articles and books.

Question 19

What are attributes to Academic sources

Answer 19

Authoritative: The article has been produced by an expert in his or her field
Peer-reviewed: The article has been rigorously read and reviewed by other experts or authorities in that same field.
Published in a Scholarly Research Journal: Academic articles are often published in special journals that focus on one academic discipline or one topic of study.These articles are published for an audience who is also highly involved in that academic disciplinemost scholarly research journals require a paid subscription.

Question 20

Considerations for Evaluating Academic Sources

Answer 20

even scholarly sources contain embedded biases, we should still review them.

How prolific is the author in his or her field? Has he or she written extensively on the topic that is addressed in this paper? check wors cited for previous publications by topic. this indicts the author is commited,.
If your article seems rather short and does not follow the general structure of an academic article then you should spend time considering whether or not the article is a relevant or credible source for the purposes of your assignment? Is there a more thorough or detailed source that you could use?
How current is the article? If you are looking for a historical perspective on your topic, then an older article may be useful. But if you need current information and your article is 10 or 15 years old, is it as relevant and useful for your assignment?
f the article is not answering your research question or the assignment question in any meaningful way, perhaps the source is not relevant to you. is it relevent?

Question 21

What is the structure of a scholarly resource?

Answer 21

abstract, which is a summary of the author’s research question, methodologies and results.
Works Cited (also called a List of References). This is generally quite long, and it details all of the work that the author considered or cited
Literature Reviews in the beginning section of the article. They are generally several paragraphs or pages long. Some articles are only Literature Reviews. These Literature Reviews generally do not constitute an author’s own work. Instead, they are summaries and syntheses of other scholars’ work that has previously been published on the topic that the author is addressing in his or her paper. (dont qoute)
Somewhere near the end of the Literature Review, authors may indicate what has not been said or not been examined by previous scholars. This has been called a “research gap” in the social sciences – a space out of which a scholar’s own research develops.
Then, and sometimes for the bulk of an academic article, the author discusses his or her original work and analysis.
Conclusion.

Question 22

As you read scholarly sources, remember

Answer 22

to look for the author’s research question or hypothesis
to seek out the “research gap”: why did the author have this research question or hypothesis?
to identify the Literature Review
to identify the the point at which the author stops discussing previous research and begins to discuss his or her own
Most importantly: remember to always try to understand what new information this article brings to the scholarly “conversation” about this topic?

Question 23

Conducting Your Own Primary Research

Answer 23

Research questions, hese questions should not be easily answered. Research Methods how you plan to conduct your study.qualitative, quantitative, and mixed.

Question 24

Qualitative Methods

Answer 24

esearch questions focus on opinions, individual experiences, motivations, etc. and generate non-numerical data.
Qualitative methods are often used if:

You want to study a phenomena/occurrence in detail
Example research question: How does a freshman ENG 102 student describe their writing processes?
You want to focus on individual interpretations/experiences
Example research question: What are the experiences of 18-25 year old women using Fitbits for dieting?

To gather qualitative data, researchers often use research interviews, open-ended survey questions, or focus groups.

Question 25

Quantitative Methods

Answer 25

research questions focus on quantifying a problem and generate numerical data Quantitative methods are often used if: You want to understand the relationship among variables. Example research question:What is the relationship between gender and 4.0 GPAs among freshman students? You want to understand difference among variables. Example research question: What is the difference between attitudes in male and female students in a freshman level writing course? To gather quantitative data, researchers often use surveys that include closed-ended questions and Likert-Scale items.

Question 26

Mixed Methods

Answer 26

Sometimes you need to use both quantitative and qualitative methods to answer a research question.

Question 27

If you were interested in learning about how the Freshman Rhetoric course at UIUC was taught in the late 19th century, what primary source would you use?

Answer 27

the papers students wrote for that course would be considered primary sources for this research project, because they were created at the time of the institutional practices in question by direct participants in those practices.

Question 28

Ephemera

Answer 28

are generally things that are printed for a specific occasion or purpose and aren’t meant to last after their original use. Examples are: theatre programs, posters for events, ticket stubs, political leaflets, and bumper stickers.

Question 29

Oral histories

Answer 29

are accounts given by a person of events earlier in their life

Question 30

when are primary sources best to be used?

Answer 30

In general with primary sources, the closer in time to the events that the account is given, the more reliable it is considered to be.

Question 31

What is the value of primary sources?

Answer 31

Primary sources are what remain from the past. Aside from human memory and the unrecorded passing down of information from generation to generation, histories based upon primary sources are really the only way the current generation can hope to understand what happened before.

Question 32

What are archives?

Answer 32

Archives are places where records of all types and formats are kept and made accessible for research and other purposes. They are a good place to find primary sources, both unpublished materials and those that have been published for their parent institution's members or constituencies

Question 33

Archives provide access to

Answer 33

rare materials the records they hold are one-of-a-kind items or those that have not been produced in great quantities for the general public. This is a major way they differ from libraries. But archives aren’t just for the storage their purpose is to provide access to them for research and understanding

Question 34

Archives do have a few rules

Answer 34

You have to view them in a private room with no drink, pens, backpacks around. So they don't get damged and people can you them in the future. People who hold archieves are very careful with people viewing them because their one of a kind. Rule: Never write or mark on an archival document in any way, and only use a pencil or laptop computer to take notes for yourself. Handle fragile materials carefully to avoid wear and tear. You may be shown the best way to handle particular items. Have only one folder/box open at a time, and replace all materials into the folders and boxes in the same order in which you found them.

Question 35

Doing research in the Archives,

Answer 35

``` Step 1: Think about who might have created relevant records Step 2: Locate the records Step 3: Go where the records are ```

Question 36

Step 1: | Think about who might have created relevant records

Answer 36

thinking about what kinds of individuals or organizations would have been involved in the events or conditions you’re researching. Then look for any records these people or groups might have generated during the time period in question that would relate to these events. When you find a source that seems relevant, examine it carefully. It will probably lead you to other sources.

Question 37

Step 2: | Locate the records

Answer 37

1. A Record Group is a body of organizationally related records, normally large in size and established on the basis of who created them. 2. A Record Sub-Group is a subset of a record group. 3. A Record Series is a subset of a record group or sub-group. It is a set of records that are organizationally similar to each other in some way.

Question 38

Step 3: | Go where the records are

Answer 38

Then go to the location where the records are kept.

Question 39

how to use primary resources

Answer 39

``` Step 1: The document. What is it? Step 2: The creator(s). Who made it? The Creator(s). Multiple creators Step 3: The Context When and where was it created? Step 4: The meaning. What does it tell you? Step 5: The purpose. Why was it created? ```

Question 40

Step 1: The document. | What is it?

Answer 40

Is it a letter, a newspaper clipping, a report? Is it a photograph? If so, what photographic technology was used to create it? No matter what kind of document you’re dealing with, be as specific as possible about what it is.

Question 41

Step 2: The creator(s). Who made it? The Creator(s). Multiple creators

Answer 41

Who wrote, published, photographed, recorded or otherwise made the document? Sometimes this can seem fairly easy and straightforward, such as with a letter: the creator is the person who signed it. Not every document is created by just one identifiable person. For example, reports are often written by committees.

Question 42

Step 3: The Context | When and where was it created?

Answer 42

Another thing a historian immediately does is to figure out when a document was created. It is important to be able to place the creation of the document on a mental timeline in relation to the events you’re researching.

Question 43

Step 4: The meaning. | What does it tell you?

Answer 43

1. If it is a written or audio document: Read through or listen to the document carefully. What does it say? What information does it provide about your topic that you didn’t know before? Also pay attention to what you don’t understand – terms, people, places, events that are mentioned that you don’t recognize. 2. If it is a picture or moving image: Examine it carefully. What is represented? If there are people in the picture what are they doing? Are they posing for the picture? What is the relationship between the artist/photographer and the subject? What places, buildings, natural surroundings, signs, or other objects are in the picture? What was going on when the picture was taken (drawn, painted, videotaped, etc.) Also pay attention to what you don’t recognize: buildings, objects, people, etc. 3. Write it down Write down what you learned from the document and what questions it prompts for further research. What is the significance of this document for the historical question you're researching? You may also want to make a list of the names, events, places, objects, etc., that are unfamiliar to you. You can use this list to do more background research to understand the document better and what it can tell you about the past events in question.

Question 44

Step 5: The purpose. | Why was it created?

Answer 44

Try and figure out why the creator(s) were trying to convey this message with this document in their particular time and context. What audience or recipient were they trying to reach? For what purpose? What do you know about this audience or reader, and how they may have understood the document? Consider the point of view of the creator. What was their stake in making the document? Write about who the creator was and what they were trying to convey with the document. Consider why they wrote it and who they were trying to reach. How does this help you understand the document better?

Question 45

Further research

Answer 45

As you continue your research, you'll also want to think about what other people or organizations would have created records that would shed light on your topic. Are there other perspectives you can get on the events you're researching? Compare the information gathered from various sources. Do they contradict each other, or are their accounts consistent with each other? If there are contradictions, can they be reconciled? How can you sort them out? Does one of the sources seem more credible than another one? Why? And you'll probably need to do some library research using secondary sources to get background information and to answer some of the questions that will inevitably crop up. You can use the list of names, places, terms, events, etc., that you made in step 4 to direct your further research.

Question 46

Summary

Answer 46

What is this document? When and where was it made? Who made it? Why did they make it?