1. Information Sources
Pointers
LBRY 3020 2/13/12

2. Scholarly Sources
• Written for professors, students, academics
• Written by scholars
• Peer reviewed aka refereed, 1-12 times a year
• Looks like: Dense text, no ads, many pages
• Articles: Signed, credentials, tech language,
endnotes, works cited, specific sections
• Examples: College & Research Libraries,
Ethnomusicology, Journal of Gender Studies,
Nature

3. Popular Sources
• Written for the general public
• Written by professional writers
• Not peer-reviewed, new issues are frequent
• Looks like: glossy, lots of ads and pictures
• Articles: May be unsigned, short, simple, current
events, usually under 10 pages
• Examples: Newsweek, Ms., New York Times,
Psychology Today, Art News

4. Primary Sources
A primary source is a document or physical object which was
written or created during the time under study. These sources
were present during an experience or time period and offer an
inside view of a particular event. First-hand evidence.
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS: Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters,
interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records
CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art,
photographs
ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings
Some additional keywords to search:
Personal narratives, Letters, Early works
Manuscripts, transcripts, Correspondence
Adapted from http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html

5. Secondary Sources
• A secondary source interprets and analyzes
primary sources. These sources are one or more
steps removed from the event. Secondary
sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of
primary sources in them.
• Examples include: A journal or magazine article
which interprets or reviews previous
findings, textbooks, histories, criticisms,
commentaries, encyclopedias
Adapted from: http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html

6. Credibility
• Who wrote it?
• What is it?
• When was it written?
• Where was it written?
• Why was it written?
• How was it written?