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Evaluating Information

Types of Sources

Primary Secondary Tertiary
Photograph of old handwritten letters tied with string in a bundle Photograph of stacked old books Stock photo of encyclopedia britannica

Definition

Records and original documents that are created or witnessed/experienced concurrently or contemporaneously with an event

Definition

Second-hand information -- often presented as summaries, reviews, analyses, or critiques -- created after an event

Definition

Sources that identify, locate, index, digest, and synthesize primary and secondary sources

Characteristics

First-hand, eye-witness accounts

Characteristics

Sources that interpret, review, critique, summarize, or offer commentary of an event or work

Characteristics

Reference materials and collections that list primary and secondary sources

Examples

  • Letters/correspondence
  • Speeches
  • Diaries/Journals
  • Creative works (paintings, photos, etc.)
  • Interviews
  • News articles and footage
  • Original research
  • Data sets
  • Relics and artifacts

Examples

  • Biographies
  • Book reviews
  • Commentary
  • Textbooks
  • Literary criticism
  • Research studies

Examples

  • Encyclopedia
  • Factbooks and almanacs
  • Dictionaries
  • Directories
  • Bibliographies
  • Textbooks
  • Research guides and finding tools
  • Wikipedia

 

Credits

Sources

Comparison chart adapted from William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University. 

Dictionary of Archives Terminology. Society of American Archivists.

Frequently Asked Questions: General by Library of Congress.

What are the differences? University of Minnesota Crookston.