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| Know What You Need | Primary vs. Secondary | Choosing What You Need | Evaluation |
Before you begin searching for resources, make sure you know what you need. Do you need primary or secondary resources? Will the best information for your topic be from a book, an article, a website, or in another form? Do you know how to evaluate if something is a good source for your paper, presentation, or project? The next pages will help you know what you need.
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What is the Difference Between a Primary Source and a Secondary Source?
What makes a source either primary or secondary is not its format, age, or author, but how the source is used in a particular instance.
Primary Source
Primary sources provide firsthand evidence about an historical event, object, work of art, literary text, or person.
Primary sources can be in either a textual or non-textual format and are usually contemporary to the events etc. that are being examined.
Note that if you are using a primary source to write a paper or do an assignment, you will be looking at the source to obtain evidence to make and prove observations.
Secondary Source
Secondary sources provide analysis of events, historical periods, scientific theories, and works or bodies of art and literature.
Secondary sources are usually in a textual format and are produced after the event etc. that is being analyzed.
Note that if you are using a secondary source to write a paper or do an assignment, you will be reading and assessing another person's analysis or experiment, determining the validity of their opinion, and using their judgements, opinions, or findings to support or analyze your own thesis.
Below is a list of some examples of primary and secondary resources. Note that whether a source is used as a primary or a secondary resources is determined by the type of research your are conducting and how you use the source.
| Primary | Secondary |
| diaries & personal correspondence | an article analyzing the contents of a famous historical diary |
| a work of art | a book comparing the works of different artists |
| census or demographic records | an article examining the economic and social effects of Canada's aging population |
| the score of an opera | a biography of the composer Mozart |
| public opinion poll | newspaper article about the safety of air travel |
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Part of knowing what you need is understanding the advantages and disadvantages of different formats. Before you begin searching, decide what formats are best for your topic.
Checked by EditorsThe information found in books has been checked by editors, making the information more accurate and reliable. The books found in the University of Manitoba Libraries are selected for your use by librarians. As a result, library books are good choices for reliable information.
Can Be Out of DateBecause it takes years to write and publish books, they are not always the best source of current topics. Some books are less scholarly than others. It is important to assess the validity, currency (date), and accuracy of the information in the book, as well as the intent of the author.
Peer-Reviewed, Current, Reliable
The articles found in scholarly journals go through a "peer-review" process. In other words, the articles are checked by professors and other experts. The information is reliable and based on extensive research. Scholarly journals take less time to publish than books, and are a good source of current research. Scholarly articles contain citations to the research used in their construction, so you can verify the validity of the author's ideas.
Very Specific, Short, Not a Good Source for an Overview
Scholarly journals include information of academic interest, so they are not the best sources for general interest topics. They do not include up-to-the minute news or current event information.
Good Resources for Current Events, Cultural Opinions, and Up-To-the-Minute News
Popular magazine articles focus on issues of current interest including news and trends. Magazines articles must be approved by an editor and therefore are considered more reliable than web sites.
Not Scholarly, No Bibliography, Can Be Biased
Popular magazines do not undergo a peer-review process and are not based on extensive research. The articles are written by journalists, rather than researchers and professors. Generally, they do not include a list of references at the end, so you cannot trace the origins of the writer's ideas. Also, magazines are often written for a specific audience and may contain bias.
Current Information, Easily Accessible
Web sites provide up-to-the minute news and information about current events, trends, and controversial topics.
Not Usually Checked for Accuracy by Outside Parties, Often Difficult to Determine Authorship, Date or Publication, and Validity
Because anyone can publish anything on the web, web site information is frequently inaccurate or biased, and sometimes outdated. Scholarly information is generally not available on the open web.
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Compare Evaluating Resources With Evaluating Whether or Not Lend Someone Money
If someone asked you to lend them ten dollars, would you lend it to them?
For most people, it depends on who is asking for the ten dollars. If your father or your sister asked for ten dollars, you would probably say yes. If a stranger asked you to lend them ten dollars, you would want to know more about who they are and why they want the money. In other words, you would evaluate if the person is trustworthy as well as the reasons they are asking for the money.
When you use another person’s book, study, or ideas to build an analysis or argument, you must evaluate their work in a similar way. It is important to determine if you can trust the author and the publisher, as well as their intentions. Their ideas must also be convincing to your audience, which in most cases is academic and scholarly. For this reason, your resources should also be academic, as well as relevant and reputable.
Here are some questions to ask when you are evaluating books, articles, websites, or any other materials:
- Is the information relevant to my project?
- Am I using it as a primary or a secondary resource?
- Who is the author?
- Are they an expert on this subject?
- How did the author get their information?
- Do other people trust the author or publication?
- Is the information up to date?
- Is it scholarly?
- Who does the author expect to read / use their work?
- Is the information based on research rather than opinion?
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