3. What is a Source?
A place, person, or thing from which
information comes or can be obtained
Examples: book, article, photograph,
interview, manuscript, letter, diary/journal,
advertisement, architectural plan, building,
monument, epigraphic inscription, drawing,
utilitarian object
4. Three Types of Sources
Primary Sources
Information in its original form when it first
appears
Secondary Sources
Restates, rearranges, examines, or
interprets information from one or more
primary sources
Tertiary Sources
Leads you to secondary sources
5. Primary Sources
Has not been published anywhere else or put into a context, interpreted,
filtered, condensed, or evaluated by anyone else
Examples
A speech, lecture, or presentation
Writing by the witness(es) of an event, person, or place
Newspaper articles
A diary or journal
Letters, correspondence, or transcribed conversations
Artwork, poetry, and other artistic expressions
An original scientific study
Historical documents or publications
The U.S. Constitution
Maps
6. Secondary Sources
Has been removed from its original source and repackaged
Examples
Notes or summary of a speech, lecture, or presentation
Book or journal article analyzing an historical person or event
and attempting to put it in context
Critic’s response to artwork, poetry, and other artistic
expressions
Encyclopedia article on a topic
Newspaper article reporting on a scientific study published
elsewhere
May also lead you to primary information
Bibliography or index of primary sources
7. Tertiary Sources
Commonly used to identify and locate secondary
sources
Examples
Bibliography of critical works about a person,
period, work, or other topic
Index to secondary sources
Print index to journal, magazine, or newspaper
articles
Database (online index to journal, magazine, or
newspaper articles)
Library catalog
8. Information Timeline
Most Primary Sources are created soon after
an event occurs
Over time, more Secondary Sources are
created
13. Briggs Map Collection
Selected full-size maps are available in the Library
Maps are organized by collection
USGS topographical maps
Sanborn Fire Insurance maps
NGA (formerly DMA) nautical charts
Border Patrol maps
And more
Collections are arranged by call number or
alphabetically
14.
15. Searching JSTOR
More than 1,400 scholarly journals from over
50 academic disciplines
Includes scholarly journals, conference
proceedings, primary source materials, and
(as of 2012) books
Access JSTOR through the Architecture
Research Guides or the Library’s Databases
A-Z List
JSTOR
17. Why do we cite sources?
What is the purpose of citation?
What benefit does it have?
18. Reasons to Cite
Demonstrate your integrity and skill as a
responsible participant in your field
Lend authority to your work by relating your ideas
to those of other researchers
Help readers understand the context of your
argument and locate other sources on the topic
Give the author credit for their work – research
and publication are labor intensive!