Skip to Main Content

Research

So you have a paper or project due and you don't know where to start? Use this guide to help you pick a researchable topic, search for sources effectively, and keep track of your research.

Primary v Secondary Sources - Definitions

Primary sources are original.
Secondary sources interpret or analyze original material.

	Humanities	Sciences
Primary	Original, first-hand account of an event or time period Usually written or made during or close to the event or time period Original, creative writing or works of art Factual, not interpretive	Report of scientific discoveries Results of experiments Results of clinical trials Social and political science research results Factual, not interpretive
Secondary	Analyzes and interprets primary sources Second-hand account of an historical event Interprets creative work	Analyzes and interprets research results Analyzes and interprets scientific discoveries

Primary v Secondary Sources - Examples

	HUMANITIES	SCIENCE
PRIMARY	Diaries, journals, and letters Newspaper and magazine articles (factual accounts) Government records (census, marriage, military) Photographs, maps, postcards, posters Recorded or transcribed speeches Interviews with participants or witnesses (e.g., The Civil Right Movement) Interviews with people who lived during a particular time (e.g., genocide in Rwanda) Songs, Plays, novels, stories Paintings, drawings, and sculptures	Published results of research studies Published results of scientific experiments Published results of clinical trials Proceedings of conferences and meetings
SECONDARY	Biographies Histories Literary Criticism Book, Art, and Theater Reviews Newspaper articles that interpret	Publications about the significance of research or experiments Analysis of a clinical trial Review of the results of several experiments or trials

Primary v Secondary - Specific Examples

	PRIMARY	SECONDARY
LITERATURE	“Song of Myself” (Poem)	Journal article about the poem’s historical importance
PSYCHOLOGY	Results of clinical trial to treat ADD by modifying diet	Book about ways to treat childhood ADD without drugs
POLITICS/GOVERNMENT	U.S. Census Statistics	Book about suburban population changes in U.S.
HISTORY	Recorded interview with Choctaw American Indian	Journal article about Native Americans who served in WWII
SOCIAL SCIENCE	Diary of Anne Frank	Book about diaries kept during the Holocaust
ART	Photographs by Diane Arbus	Magazine article about 20th century female photographers