primary- secondary- tertiary source. primary sources personal letter autobiography e-mail text...
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Primary-Secondary-Tertiary Source
Primary sources Personal letter Autobiography E-mail Text message Blog entry Speech Interview Eyewitness account Public document
Primary sources Photograph Art work Song lyrics/poem Survey results Questionnaire Experiment results Diary entry /personal letters Police record/report Newspaper article
Secondary sources Textbook Special dictionary Reference book Biography Criticism of a play On-line information History time-line
Tertiary sources Dictionary Encyclopedia Guide book Atlas Statistics Index Abstract Chronology Handbook/manual Directory
Name that Source
Primary Sourcesand Secondary Sources Self-Test
1. A biography of the marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles. (primary / secondary)
2. Charles Darwin's book on evolution, The Origin of Species. (primary / secondary)
3. Excerpts from the Declaration of Independence. (primary / secondary)
4. The autobiography of John Scopes, the biology teacher who was tried and convicted in 1925 for teaching the theory of evolution in a Tennessee public school. (primary / secondary)
5. An interview with your grandfather about your great-grandfather's childhood. (primary / secondary)
6. An editorial attacking the Republican position on social security. (primary / secondary)
7. An interview with a survivor from the Titanic. (primary / secondary) 8. A survey you conducted to see if the majority of students commute to
school. (primary / secondary) 9. A book by an astronomer providing precise experimental data
illustrating that the universe began with a "Big Bang." (primary / secondary)
10. A book by a journalist that highlights the major historic events of the 19th century. (primary / secondary)
Quiz Number 1-10 on a scratch sheet of
paper Quiz
Reliability of Websites 1. Look for Sites from Established Institutions The web is full of websites that were started five minutes ago. What you
want are sites associated with trusted institutions that have been around for awhile and have a proven track record of reliability and integrity.
2. Look for Sites With Expertise You wouldn't go to an auto mechanic if you broke your leg, and you
wouldn't go to the hospital to have your car repaired. I'm making an obvious point: Look for websites that specialize in the kind of information you're seeking. So if you're writing a story on a flu outbreak, check out medical websites, and so on.
3. Steer Clear of Commercial Sites Sites run by companies and business - their websites usually end in .com -
are more often than not trying to sell you something. And if they're trying to sell you something, chances are whatever information they're presenting will be tilted in favor of their product.
4. Beware Bias Reporters write a lot about politics, and there are plenty of political
websites out there. But many of them are run by groups that have a bias in favor of one political party or philosophy. A conservative website isn't likely to report objectively on a liberal politician, and vice versa. Steer clear of sites with a political ax to grind and instead look for ones that are non-partisan.
5. Check the Date As a reporter you need for the most up-to-date information available, so
if a website seems old, it's probably best to steer clear. One way to check - look for a "last updated" date on the page or site.
6. Look at the Site's Look If a site looks poorly designed and amateurish, chances are it was
created by amateurs. Steer clear. But be careful - just because a website is professionally designed doesn't mean it's reliable.
7. Avoid Anonymous Authors Articles or studies whose authors are named are often - though not
always - more reliable than works produced anonymously. It makes sense: If someone is willing to put their name on something they've written, chance are they stand by the information it contains. And if you have the name of the author, you can always Google him or her to check their credentials.
8. Check the Links Reputable websites often link to each other. See which sites the website
you're on links to. Then go to Google and enter this in the search field: link: http://www.yourwebsite.com This will show you which sites link to the one you're on. If lots of sites are
linking to your site, and of those sites seem reputable, then that's a good sign.
9. Does the author cite sources? Just as in print sources, web sources that cite their sources are considered more reliable. It shows that the author has done his/her homework and is familiar with scholarship in the field.
10. What is the main purpose of the site? Why did the author write it and the publisher post it? To sell a product? As a personal hobby? As a public service? To further scholarship on a topic? To provide general information on a topic? To persuade you of a particular point of view?
10. Don’t ignore the suffix on the domain name (the three-letter part that comes after the “.”). The suffix is usually (but not always) descriptive of what type of entity hosts the website. Keep in mind that it is possible for sites to obtain suffixes that are misleading. Here are some examples: .edu = educational .com = commercial � � .mil = military .gov = government .org = nonprofit �
