5.

Identify and locate primary and secondary data sources

6. Evaluate the authenticity and accuracy of source materials
7. Analyze the date and develop a narrative exposition of the findings. (Berg and Lure,
2012)

Historical sources are, at their most basic level, something that tells us about history. It may
"The historian, however, has to use many materials that are no in books. Where these are
be a document, a picture, a sound recording, a book, a cinema film a television program or an
archeological, epigraphical, or numismatical materials, he has to depend largely on museums.
object. Any sort of artifact from the period in question that conveys information can qualify
Where there are official records, he may have to search for them in archives, courthouses,
as a source. (historyonthenet.com, "What are historical sources?" 2000)
government libraries, etc. Where there are private papers not available in official collections,
he may have to hunt among the papers of business houses, the muniment rooms of ancient
castles, the prized possessions of autograph collectors, the records of parish churches, etc.
having some subject in mind, with more or less definite delimination of the persons, areas,
times, and functions (i.e., the economic, political, intellectual, diplomatic, or other There are two main types of historical sources: primary sources and secondary sources.
occupational aspects) involved, he looks for materials that may have some bearing upon
those persons in that area at the time they function in that fashion. These materials are his A primary source is something that originates from the past. It can be a chronicle, a piece of
sources." pottery, or even a piece of glacial ice that gives us climate data about the levels of
atmospheric carbon one thousand years ago. Historians, to the best of their abilities, work
— Louis Gottschalk, Understanding History: A Primer of Historical Method with primary sources to understand the past on its own terms, not through the modern-day
lenses. (historyonthenet.com, "What are historical sources?" 2000)

A secondary source is a work that comments on the past. Typically this is a recently written
book that describes past events, often written by a historian or trained scholar familiar about
Historical research “attempts to systematically recapture the complex nuances, the
the time period and civilization in question. A secondary source is a book about history.
people, meanings, events, and even ideas of the past that have influenced and shaped the
Scholars will spend just as much time with secondary sources as they will with primary
present”
sources since they attempt to understand how other scholars interpret obscure events and
may disagree with their analyses. (historyonthenet.com, "What are historical sources?" 2000)
Historical research involves the following steps:
For example, a Spanish coin that was made by the Spaniards during their colonialization of
1. Identify an idea, topic or research question
the Philippines is a primary source, but a replica of a Spanish coin made in 2013 would be a
2. Conduct a background literature review
3. Refine the research idea and questions secondary source. The Doctrina Christiana written in 1593 by Fray Juan de Plasencia would
4. Determine that historical methods will be the method used

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be a primary source, but a news article written about the Doctrina Christiana in 2010 would be Secondary sources
a secondary source. provide a variety of In contrast, because
Secondary Sources
expert perspectives secondary sources
are one step
A tertiary source is an index or textual consolidation of primary and secondary sources. Some and insights. Also, are not necessarily
removed from the
tertiary sources are not to be used for academic research, unless they can also be used as peer review usually focused on your
topic. While they can
secondary sources, or to find other sources. (Wikipedia, "Tertiary source," 2019) ensures the quality specific topic, you
be just as valuable as
of sources such as may have to dig to
primary sources, you
Secondary Sources scholarly articles. find applicable
must remember that
Finally, researching information.
secondary
Historians encounter a large variety of sources during the course of their studies Sources can secondary sources is Information may be
information is filtered
be labeled primary, secondary, or tertiary, depending on their distance from the information more efficient than colored by the
through someone
they share. planning, conducting, writer's own bias or
else's perspective
and analyzing certain faulty approach.
and may be biased.
primary sources.
Historical Source Definition Advantages Disadvantages

Primary sources Tertiary sources

directly address your provide third-hand
Primary source give topic and often information by Conversely, because
Some primary reporting ides and Tertiary sources of their distance,
firsthand, original, provide information
sources, such as details from offer a quick, easy tertiary sources may
and unfiltered that is unavailable
eyewitness accounts, secondary sources. introduction to your oversimplify or
information. elsewhere. For
may be too close to Tertiary Sources This does not mean topic. They may point otherwise distort a
Examples are example, the
the subject, lacking a that tertiary sources to high-quality topic. By rehashing
eyewitness accounts, questions you
critical distance. have no value, merely primary and secondary sources,
Primary Sources personal journals, compose for an
Others, such as that they include the secondary sources. they may miss new
interviews, historical interview or a survey
interviews, surveys, potential for an insights into a topic.
documents, and will likely target your
and experiment, are additional layers of
artifacts. These unique interest in the
time consuming to bias.
source have a close, topic. Similarly, to
prepare, administer,
direct connection to test a particular
and analyze.
their subjects. hypothesis, you can
design your own
experiment.

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 Sources of information are often categorized as primary or secondary depending commercial, administrative, or social activities. They have been metaphorically defined as
upon their originality. What are the difference between primary source and secondary "the secretions of an organism" and are distinguished from documents that have been
sources? Let’s look at some of their dissimilarities: consciously written or created to communicate a particular message to posterity (Wikipedia
Primary Sources Secondary Sources "Archive," 2018).
 created after event; sometimes a
 created at the time of an event, or A museum is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other
long time after something happened
very soon after objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make
 often uses primary sources as
 created by someone who saw or these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary
examples
heard an event themselves (Wikipedia "Museum," 2018).
 expresses an opinion or an argument
 often one-of-a-kind, or rare
about a past event
 letters, diaries, photos and A historical society (sometimes also preservation society) is an organization dedicated to
 history text books, historical movies
newspaper (can all be primary preserving, collecting, researching, and interpreting historical information or items. Originally,
and biographies (can all be
sources) these societies were created as a way to help future generations understand their heritage
secondary sources)
(Wikipedia "Historical society," 2018).

In library science, special collections (Spec. Coll. or S.C.) are libraries or library units that
house materials requiring specialized security and user services. Materials housed in special
collections can be in any format (including rare books, manuscripts, photographs, archives,
There is no single repository of primary sources. Primary sources are usually located in
ephemera, and digital records), and are generally characterized by their artifactual or
archives, libraries, museums, historical societies, and special collections.
monetary value, physical format, uniqueness or rarity, and/or an institutional commitment to
long-term preservation and access. They can also include association with important figures
A library is a collection of sources of information and similar resources, made accessible to a
or institutions in history, culture, politics, sciences, or the arts (Wikipedia "Special collections,"
defined community for reference or borrowing. It provides physical or digital access to
2018).
material, and may be a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both. A library's
collection can include books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints,
documents, microform, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, e-books, audio
books, databases, and other formats. Libraries range in size from a few shelves of books to
several million items (Wikipedia "Library," 2018).

An archive is an accumulation of historical records or the physical place they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an
individual or organization's lifetime and are kept to show the function of that person or
organization. Professional archivist’s and historians generally understand archives to be
records that have been naturally and necessarily generated as a product of regular legal,

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