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| INFORMATION
SOURCES:
Primary,
Secondary, and Tertiary Sources, and Gray literature
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Primary source: Original manuscript, documents, or records used in preparing a published or unpublished work.
Certain disciplines may use different criteria for identifying Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary literature. Check with your professor or faculty advisor for help specific to your discipline
| Primary Sources | Secondary Sources | Tertiary Sources | Gray Literature | |
Type of work |
*Autobiography *Case studies *Correspondence *Diaries/
Personal *Dissertations/Theses *First-person accounts *Historical documents (Constitution,
treaties- *Laboratory data *Minutes of meetings *Original manuscripts / documents *Original research *Photographs *Religious documents (Bible, scripture…) *Speeches *Technical reports *Works of fiction, poetry, drama… |
*Analysis *Biography *Criticism *Dissertations/Theses (Literature review materials) *Editorials *News
reporter *Film documentaries *Reviews
of the *Work that relies on primary sources |
*Film documentaries that
are not *Work
that is |
*Conference proceedings *Data exchange *Dissertations / Theses *Environmental impact statements *Government documents / publications *Market research reports *Online documents *Oral presentations *Technical reports *Working papers |
Author |
*Authors reporting on personal experiences and/or work. *In academics or research, often written by an expert or graduate student in the field. |
*Author has an interest in the topic.
*Can be an expert in the field. |
*Author has an interest in the topic. *Free-lance *Staff writer |
*Author works in the field *Expert in the field. *Masters or PhD candidates |
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Where published
Where Indexed |
BooksGray literature Monograph Scholarly journal Refereed/peer reviewed journalSUBJECT-SPECIFIC INDEXESABI/Inform Congressional Universe FirstSearch Databases1 J-STOR Kulwer Lexis/Nexis Westlaw NCJRS Website OVID Proquest Medical, Nursing & Psychology Stat-USA State Capital Universe Statistical Universe
1. FirstSearch databases include subject-specific and general indexes. For help in selecting the right databases, ask a reference staff. |
Books, EncyclopediasGray literature Newspapers Pamphlets Scholarly journal Peer reviewed journalsSUBJECT-SPECIFIC & GENERAL INDEXESABI/Inform Congressional Universe Criminal Justice Abstracts FirstSearch Databases1 GaleNet J-STOR Kulwer Lexis/Nexis Westlaw NCJRS Website NetAdvantage OVID Proquest Direct, Medical, Nursing & Psychology Stat-USA State Capital Universe Statistical Universe 1. FirstSearch databases include subject-specific and general indexes. For help in selecting the right databases, ask a reference staff. |
Books / textbooks Gray literature Magazines Newspapers Trade journals GENERAL INDEXES Academic Index EBSCO FirstSearch Databases General Science Index2 Lexis/Nexis - News New York Times Index2 NewsBank InfoWeb Proquest Direct Readers Guide to Periodical Literature2
2. Print Material |
Business / Industry publications Government publications (Federal, state & local) Unpublished dissertation / ThesesINDEXES to GENERAL &GRAY LITERATUREBig Cypress Basin Caloosahatchee Docs. Charlotte HarborDocs. Criminal Justice Abstr. Dissertation Abstracts3 ERIC http://askeric.org/Eric/ GrayLIT Network http://www.osti.gov/graylit/ Library of Congress loc.gov National Sea Grant Library http://nsgd.gso.uri.edu/ NCJRS ncjrs.org/ NOAA noaa.gov NTIS ntis.gov PapersFirst3 Proceedings 3 Scientific & Technical Information Network http://stinet.dtic.mil/ US Census Bureau www.census.gov USDA usda.gov USGS usgs.gov WorldCat3
3 Access through FirstSearch
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