There are many types of sources and resources* one can use for research. What you use will depend on what you need.
In general, there are three types of sources: primary, secondary, and tertiary. They can be broken down even more into books, articles, or web pages.
Your needs will determine the best resources for your assignment.
* A source is something that provides information
* A resource is something available to use
You use a resource to find a source
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Primary sources are original materials on which other research is based. These can be first-hand accounts or creative works, such as:
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Secondary sources describe, evaluate, summarize, analyze, or interpret primary sources. They forward a novel and/or debatable thesis about a primary text. Some examples are:
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Tertiary sources are collections or organizations of primary and secondary sources. They are factual and repackage or summarize what is already an idea. They can be:
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The design of this page was partly adapted from Research: By Course, Subject, or Topic, by University of Arizona Libraries, © 2020 The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of The University of Arizona, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.