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Secondary Sources
"The books that help you most are those which make you think the most." - Theodore Parker
Secondary Sources are sources from which you will gain information about the topic you are researching. They are not directly connected to your topic -- meaning, they are usually books. Secondary Sources are usually printed material: magazines, articles, diaries, books, texts, and other similar items. That is the distinction between Secondary and Primary Sources, which are usually people. Secondary Sources are found through a catalog search of the UMCP Library system. For more information, go to the Links page.
For your 10 secondary sources, you need to write a secondary source review. The source review will be divided into 3 paragraphs:
- 1. general overview of the source (page #s, # of chapters, content, organization)
2. specific relationship to subproblems (at least one, and you must state the specific one)
3. credibility of the source, validity (the author's education, degrees, etc.)
Source reviews should be listed alphabetically by author's last name (along with all bibliographic information), and should be formatted in the standard bibliographic style. Each source review should be about 1/2 page in length, single spaced and typed. (5-8 pages total)
Steps in Creating Secondary Source Reviews
1. Take the Problem Statement you wrote and generate a list of 15 or so keywords/subjects to search with.
2. Using the VICTORWeb online card catalog of the UMCP system, use your keywords to search for books or texts relating to your subject. (see the Links page for more information)
3. Write down or type a list of 20 sources that you found using VICTORWeb. Make sure you get all the following information before going to the library:
- - the author and title
- the call number (check to see if it's a "folio" item)
- campus location (UMCP)
- library location (ex: MCK=McKeldon, etc.)
- the due date and status (checked out? lost?)
4. Now, you have to go to the library and search for the list of 20 books you generated. In the end, you should have notes for at least 10 secondary sources. Make sure to the notes you take cover all the topics you need for the source review requirements.
5. Write your secondary source reviews, keeping in mind the guidelines and requirements.
6. Submit your reviews for peer editing. Correct any necessary changes and submit to the instructor for the final grade.
7. Now you have your Secondary Sources completed! You can move on to your Primary Sources.
Example
Here is my problem statement:
"How has the popularity of Japanese animation in the U.S. from 1999-2000 affected the content of pre-teen cartoons (aimed at children aged 10-14) produced in 2000-01 in the U.S.?"
This is an example of some words I used to search VICTORWeb with:
Japanese animation, cartoons, anime, Japan, animation
This is an example of a book I found on VICTORWeb using some of the above keywords:
Poitras, Gilles. The Anime Companion: What's Japanese in Japanese Animation? Berkley, California: Stone Bridge Press, 1999.
This page is created and maintained by Jennifer Tam. Copyright 2001.