The Research Process
You'll see by the image below that research is NOT a linear process. You don't go from topic to database to paper. Rather, research can be cyclical -- starting with a topic, getting background information on a topic to develop a research question, then researching. You may go back and have to refine your topic, or you might move on to synthesizing information. After synthesizing you may further need to develop your topic, or you may move on to writing your paper. As you're in the process of documenting your sources, you may also need to go back and retrieve information before turning in your final product. There are many steps in between these main steps, as well, such as writing a first draft, getting feedback, revising your paper, researching some more, and so on. No one's research process looks the same!
Based off of: http://www.otis.edu/library/research-cycle
Primary Sources
Primary sources are first-hand accounts of events or time periods in history by people who were there. Types of primary sources include
Frequently, primary sources are collected and published in book form at a later time in history. For example, you may find a collection of primary sources related to the Civil War that was published in 2004 (the collection, not the original sources). Don't dismiss a recently published book that contains diaries, letters, interviews, or other primary documents from the time period that you are researching.
Secondary Sources
A secondary source describes, interprets, evaluates, and/or analyzes primary sources. A secondary source is at least one step removed from an event. However, secondary sources may include pictures, quotations, graphs, or data from primary sources with the text. Types of secondary sources include
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Common Characteristics include:
Common Characteristics Include:
Common characteristics include:
Common characteristics include:
Carnegie Vincent Library | Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed) | creator of this video, email zsharrow@wooster.edu