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| INFORMATION
    SOURCES:
    Primary,
    Secondary, and Tertiary Sources, and Gray literature 
 | 
Primary source: Original manuscript, documents, or records used in preparing a published or unpublished work.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      Personal *Dissertations/Theses *First-person accounts *Historical documents (Constitution,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 | 
| 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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| Course 
          notes developed by Nora Egan Demers, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. | |