Evaluating Resources - Overview

Primary sources are original research, material or observations, while secondary sources are materials that recount or report what a primary source has already researched or observed. For example: 

Primary Source
Niccolo Machiavelli was a 16th century Italian political philosopher and diplomat who wrote about his political theories and observations in a book entitled, The Prince (1513). Frequently quoted by journalists and politicians, The Prince is considered one of the world's most important works of political philosophy ever written. It is also a primary source material for anyone studying political science.

Secondary Source
Harvey C. Mansfield is an award winning Professor of Government who studies and teaches political philosophy at Harvard University. Mr. Mansfield has written several books about Machiavelli and his political theories, including a 1996 work entitled Machiavelli's Virtue . This book analyzes Machiavelli's ideas about virtue as they relate to political action. Because this book is Mr. Mansfield's interpretation of Machiavelli's works, it would be an example of secondary source material.

For more detailed explanations about the differences between primary and secondary source material go to the following Web sites:

• Library Research Using Primary Sources (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/PrimarySources.html )
• Yale University Library Primary Sources
  (http://www.library.yale.edu/instruction/primsource.html)

Who has authored the material and what are the author's qualifications and credentials? One of the most important things to consider about an author is whether they are experts within a specific field of study, or relaying the information second hand. You will often run into books and articles written by well known journalist or newspaper staff reporters, that at first glance, give the reader the impression of scholarly research. After closer inspection however, the content may actually be second hand information acquired from others. You should therefore always try to choose material that has been authored by a specialist in the subject area you are researching. This is especially critical if your instructor requires you to use primary source material.

There are several different types of publishers with different publishing "agendas". Listed below are the five main types of publishers:

• University
• Commercial
• Organizational
• Government
• Self-Publication

You must always pay close attention to the currency of your information. Scientifically focused topics such biology, physics, and computers will most often require current, up-to-date information, while dated material may be suitable for subjects such as English and history.

It is important to have an understanding of the contents of the material and its scope. Is the author biased, offering personal opinions of the subject, or reporting "just the facts?" Is the resource scholarly, or written for the general public?

You must determine whether the information provided by the material is useful to your research. No matter how interesting you find a book, article, or Web site, if it does not address the topic of your paper it will be irrelevant to your research.