Primary Sources are first-hand accounts. The texts you are reading are a primary source; they are the most important primary source you're working with. Other examples are diaries and letters, photographs, maps, and biographies written or created at the same time as your text. These sources can add context to your literary research.
Reference Sources give you a broad overview of the topic. They provide commonly known facts. Reference sources are not usually cited in your paper yet may be useful for the foundational background in your subject and to ensure you have a thorough grounding in the topic.
Literary biographies provide you with ample information about authors, with an emphasis on how their lives are related to their writing. They may provide rationales and the impetus behind why the literature was written.
Secondary Sources are referred to as criticism. These are materials that scholars have written about a particular work of literature, movement, or author. Criticism can help you get a sense of the themes or movements which scholars studied and debated. They may help inform your own understanding of a text, either because they reinforce your interpretation, or differ from it. Literary criticism is most often published in books; yet is often found in scholarly journals as well.
Your best bet is to begin early by thinking of your topic, designing a research question, developing a thesis statement, drafting an outline of your paper, and then start considering the kinds of information resources you need to support your research question.
C = Currency: is this information written to the time frame you need? Does it match with the rest of the information you are gathering.
R = Relevance: how important is this information to your topic? Does it relate to all the other data you have collected? If it does not, then question why you would want to use it!
A = Authority: who is the source of this information? Is it a reliable source? Is there contact information in case you need to ask any follow-up questions? Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? Look at these domain as reference:
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.com (commercial) |
.gov (government) |
.edu (education) |
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.org (nonprofit organization) |
.mil (military) |
.net (network) |
A = Accuracy: Is this information verifiable? Can it be supported by evidence? Is the information refereed or reviewed by reliable sources? Does the languages seem to be free from bias and emotion? Are there mistakes in tone, grammar, typographical, or other error?
P = Purpose: What is the intent of the author(s) in presenting this information? Is the information opinion, fact, or propaganda? Does this information teach, inform, persuade, entertain, or sell? Does the point of view appear unbiased, impartial, and objective?
Watch out for:
Using Internet Sources: Evaluating Information: Applying The CRAAP Test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose)