1. What are sources?
Unit 1 Activity 4

2. The Two Types of Sources
Type of Source
Definition
Example
Primary Source
documents or other artifacts created by people who were present at historical events either as observers, witnesses, or participants
Personal diaries
Speeches
Published works
Paintings
Photographs
Secondary Source
accounts or commentaries based on primary sources by people who were
not present at the actual event, summarizing or analyzing the event
Editorial article
Scholarly journals
Textbooks

3. How to tell which source to use?
What to Look Out For
Reliable Sources
Unreliable Sources
Who is the author/
publisher?
written by someone respected in their field of study
websites ending in .gov, .edu
unknown **
(unless from a respectable website like a newspaper)
no credentials
What is the author’s purpose?
To inform without any bias (favoring one side or another)
To persuade**
(unless they provide coverage of both sides of a debate in a topic)
What type of language/
grammar is used?
Formal language
Correct grammar usages = more educated author
Informal language
Grammar errors
Do they cite other sources?
Citations given
Links to other websites are given
No citations
Cannot prove where they got their information

4. your 7-year old neighbor
For example…
If you were asked to write a research essay about the phases of the moon, who should you trust to give you accurate information?
a physicist
your 7-year old neighbor