Honors College Co-Curricular Workshops

Primary sources provide firsthand evidence gathered by the author(s).  They may be created or documented at the time of an event as in

• scholarly research articles including research articles, clinical reports, and case studies,
• diaries,
• speech,
• letters,
• photographs,
• manuscript,
• eye-witness accounts, 
• conference proceedings,
• newspaper reports on current events,
• creative works such a music, poetry, video, photography.

A primary source may also be documented at a later time (but are still firsthand accounts), such as

• autobiographies,
• memoirs,
• oral histories.

Ask a librarian for the best places to find primary sources for your subject area. 

• LIbrary of Congress -American Memory Collection and Historical Newspapers 
• University Archives and Special Collections and Museums
• List of American history archives
• Historic American Newspapers
• Government Documents (online and in repositories)

Secondary sources describe, interpret or analyze information obtained from other sources (often primary sources).  Examples of secondary sources include

• print and electronic books:
• scholarly review articles:
• biography;
• commentaries, criticisms;
• journal articles (depending on the disciple can be primary);
• magazine and newspaper articles (this distinction varies by discipline);
• web site (may also considered primary).

Tertiary sources compile and summarize mostly secondary sources.  Examples include

• Reference publications such as encyclopedias, bibliographies or handbooks.
• Almanacs;
• Chronologies;
• Directories;
• Fact books;
• Guidebooks;
• Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies used to locate primary and secondary sources;
• Manuals;
• Dictionaries and Encyclopedias (also considered secondary);
• Textbooks (also considered secondary).

Now is the time for you to think about your topic and research options.  Inform the class about your current research. Then tell us what type of sources you could use in each category.  

For example:

• I am studying Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
• Primary Source-the novel
• Secondary Source-academic journal articles/literary criticism written about the themes in the work OR a biography about her life
• Tertiary Source-dictionary of literary terms

Now, it is your turn!

Table from LACC

For each question, identify whether the description best suits a popular or a scholarly article.

Cover: The casing of the book. It will include the title and author on the front and spine. Typically covers are made with a harder material that the inner pages: cardboard, cardstock paper, leather, or fabric. 

Title Page: The book's title and all the authors' names will be listed. You will also find the publisher and place of publication listed at the bottom.

Verso: Meaning "on the turn side of the page"; found on the other side of the title page. You will find the copyright and publication dates. Hint: This is also a great place to find subject headings given to the book by the Library of Congress; great keywords!

Table of Contents: A list of Chapter headings and subheadings with the page number.

List of Diagrams, Charts, Photos, or Illustrations: Found in technical books, an additional contents list offers pages for figures found throughout the books.

Foreword: Generally it is written by someone other than the author as an introduction to the subject in the book.

Acknowledgments: This is where the author gives thanks to all those who have helped him or her write the book.

Preface: Written by the author, the preface introduces you to the author's thesis or argument for the book. It will give you an idea about the author's bias and the level of research conducted.

Chapters: Books are generally broken up into sections, or chapters, to organize the thoughts, into manageable subtopics, stories, or arguments.

Afterword: Extra information on the book's topic included at the back of the book.

Notes and Appendices: Additional information, charts, resources to support the information in the main areas of the book

Bibliography: Lists of resources the author used in his or her research for the book.

Glossary: A list of terms found at the back of the book. It is organized in alphabetical order with definitions for each term; like a dictionary.

Index: Found at the back of the book, the index is a detailed list of topics, people, places, and other significant terms found throughout the book. It is organized in alphabetical order and includes the page(s) where you will find that information. This is a great place to search for your keywords to evaluate how helpful the book may be for your research.

Author's Biography: Information about the author's professional life.

Grab your favorite book or a book that is easy to locate. Preferably, it should be an academic book, but any book will do. Share your book with us.

Locate these main parts:

1. Title page

2. Verso/-Copyright Information. subject terms/key words

3. Table of Contents

4. Index

When it comes to electronic books, the parts are not as easy to notice.  Let's check out this example.

Let's look at these journal articles.  Locate the main parts of each journal article.  The format is slightly different by discipline.

Multiple Locations

Kingwood.LRC-Ref@LoneStar.edu

LSC.KWLibrary