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Library Workshops

This guide provides all the information used in Library Skills Lab or the Library Workshops.

What is it? Primary or Secondary?

A primary source is

· An original document or item created at the time of an event or shortly thereafter.

· A written text, an image, an artifact, or even a building!

· Written or created by people who were participants or observers during an event.

· Not modified or interpreted by a second person or agency.

A secondary source is

· A book, document, or item based on primary sources.

· Information collected and interpreted by a second person or agency.

A tertiary source is

· A book, document, or item based on secondary sources.

· Information collected and re-interpreted by a third person or agency.

Key to recognizing a primary source...was it created at the time?

Main thing to remember: the item needed to be created at the time.

Primary Sources Across Disciplines

Side Notes

Science - a scholarly article is a primary source if the article is written by the original researcher who conducted the study.

 

Examples

Artifacts - clothing, costumes, furniture

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