Research Tools and Tips
Research
-is the collecting of information about a
particular subject
-studious inquiry or examination; especially:
investigation or experimentation aimed at
the discovery and interpretation of facts,
revision of accepted theories or laws in the
light of new facts, or practical application of
such new or revised theories or laws
(www.merriam-webster.com).
TMCC Library
All research involves the use of
sources
3 Types of Sources
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
TMCC Library
Primary Source
A primary source is written or created by a person.
Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events
occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories.
These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when
they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they
provide the resources necessary for historical research (www.ala.org).
 artifacts (e.g. coins, plant specimens,
fossils, furniture, tools, clothing, all from
the time under study)
 Audio recordings (e.g. radio programs)
 Diaries
 Internet communications on email,
listservs
 Interviews (e.g., oral histories,
telephone, e-mail)
 Journal articles published in peerreviewed publications
 Letters
 Newspaper articles written at the time;
 Original Documents (i.e. birth certificate,
will, marriage license, trial transcript)
 Patents
 Photographs
 Proceedings of Meetings, conferences and
symposia
 Records of organizations, government
agencies (e.g. annual report, treaty,
constitution, government document)
 Speeches
 Survey Research (e.g., market surveys, public
opinion polls)
 Video recordings (e.g. television programs)
 Works of art, architecture, literature, and
music (e.g., paintings, sculptures, musical
scores, buildings, novels, poems).
 Web site.
Secondary Source
Any commentary, reference to, biography of the author
which quotes or otherwise uses these primary sources is
a secondary source.
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources
are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have
pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them (www.ala.org).
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Bibliographies (also considered tertiary);
Biographical works;
Commentaries, criticisms;
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias (also considered tertiary);
Histories;
Journal articles (depending on the disciple can be primary);
Magazine and newspaper articles (this distinction varies by discipline);
Monographs, other than fiction and autobiography;
Textbooks (also considered tertiary);
Web site (also considered primary).
Tertiary Source
Tertiary sources consist of information which is a
distillation and collection of primary and
secondary sources (www.lib.umd.edu).
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Almanacs;
Bibliographies (also considered secondary);
Chronologies;
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias (also considered secondary);
Directories;
Fact books;
Guidebooks;
Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies used to locate primary and secondary sources;
Manuals;
Textbooks (also be secondary).
Comparisons across the
disciplines
SUBJECT
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
TERTIARY
Art and Architecture
Painting by VanGogh
Article critiquing art piece
ArtStor database
Chemistry/Life Sciences
Einstein's diary
Monograph on Einstein's life
Dictionary on Theory of
Relativity
NTIS database
Manual on using invention
Engineering/Physical Sciences Patent
Humanities
Letters by Martin Luther King Web site on King's writings
Encyclopedia on Civil Rights
Movement
Social Sciences
Notes taken by clinical
psychologist
Magazine article about the
psychological condition
Textbook on clinical
psychology
Performing Arts
Movie filmed in 1942
Biography of the director
Guide to the movie
“Smarter” Searching
Search Engines
 A regular search engine like
Google or Yahoo! Searches based
on a given search term
 A Metasearch engine streamlines
your search because it has the
ability to search several search
engines
 http://browsys.com
 http://www.dogpile.com
Symbols and search terms
 Use symbols and terms to find exactly
what you are looking for
 And use to find two words
together
 Or when you want to accept a
couple of words
 -(minus sign) exclude a word
 “quotations” exact phrase
 Use the advanced settings when
searching to find relevant information
Evaluate the website for credibility
Use the CARS Checklist: Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, & Support
 Credibility: Is this a trustworthy source? Look for author’s credentials,
evidence of quality control or organizational support.
 Accuracy: Is the information up-to-date and accurate? Look for factual,
detailed, comprehensive, complete information that is current.
 Reasonableness: Is the information balanced and objective? Look for
information that is not one-sided, info. Concerned with the truth.
 Support : Does the information have contact information and corroboration?
Look for info. you an triangulate (2 other sources to support it).
A Checklist to Evaluate Websites
Evaluating Websites
A checklist to help surfers begin determining if information found on a website is true or not*
Website:
Trustworthy
Questionable
1.
Do large companies you know advertise on the site?
Yes □
No □
2.
Are there any ‘dead links’, or links to ‘moved pages’?
No □
Yes □
3.
Do the images support the stated facts?
Yes □
No □
4.
Is the site hosted by a credible provider and reside in a ‘trustworthy’ domain.
Yes □
No □
5.
Are there links and references to other websites, resources and experts that
corroborate this information?
Yes □
No □
6.
Is the resource available in another format?
Yes □
No □
7.
Do the site’s authors have other publications with credible sites and publishers?
Yes □
No □
8.
Are the site’s authors experts in the subject? (Do they have any credentials or
experience around the topic?)
Yes □
No □
9.
Is contact information provided and does the place/e-mail exist and work?
Yes □
No □
10.
Does the site present highly biased visuals (e.g. racist statements, derogatory
remarks, and emotional language)?
No □
Yes □
11.
Is the site professional (grammar and typing errors are not present or very minimal)?
Yes □
No □
Totals**:
Evaluate this website for authenticity of information: http://www.dhmo.org/
TMCC Library has many online databases and
resources available for you. Go to www.tm.edu
click on library
And click on resources
Some of our best resources for
primary sources is EBSCO and ERIC.
EBSCO databases include Academic Search Premier, ATLA Religion
Database with ATLASerials, Business Source Premier, Communication &
Mass Media Complete, ERIC, International Bibliography of Theatre &
Dance with Full Text, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts
(LISTA), Philosopher's Index, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, MLA Directory of
Periodicals, MLA International Bibliography, and Regional Business News.
For this database you simply go to the Library Resources page:
http://www.tm.edu/library/resources.asp and click on: EBSCO Database.
There will be several options to choose from based on the information
you are looking for. If you would like to look at all click on the Search All
EBSCOhost Databases and type in the “keyword” you are looking for.
TMCC Library
Click on EBSCO
Click on Search ALL
Enter your Search Term
Get Results
TMCC Library
On the left you will notice that there is PDF Full Text available for this item, not all items have
this or they may have a link.
EBSCO will also cite your sources for you in any format you need. Once you click on cite, a
picture will pop up with different
TMCCformat
Library options such as MLA or APA.
TMCC Library Online Resources
How to use library resources:
http://www.tm.edu/library/resources.asp
There are several online resources to use when looking for information. The TMCC library resource
page has EBSCO host, Eric, and many other resources to use for research or accurate information. I will
give an overview of the three most often used databases for research.
EBSCO databases include Academic Search Premier, ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials,
Business Source Premier, Communication & Mass Media Complete, ERIC, International Bibliography of
Theatre & Dance with Full Text, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA),
Philosopher's Index, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, MLA Directory of Periodicals, MLA International
Bibliography, and Regional Business News. For this database you simply go to the Library Resources
page: http://www.tm.edu/library/resources.asp and click on: EBSCO Database. There will be several
options to choose from based on the information you are looking for. If you would like to look at all
click on the Search All EBSCOhost Databases and type in the “keyword” you are looking for.
For the ERIC resource database you go to the Library Resources page:
http://www.tm.edu/library/resources.asp and click on: ERIC (Education Resources Information Center.
you will type in your keyword search and it will list the resources that have your keyword in the
resource.
There is also A to Z the World which gives facts, figures and helpful information about all the countries
of the world. You click on the A to Z the World link and click on the country you would like to learn
about on the left-hand drop down menu.
For the EBSCOhost and ERIC databases there are options to narrow your search.
These resources are only compatible when used at TMCC campus, as they are linked to the campus IP
address.
If you have any questions or need more help please come to the library call (701)477-7812, or email
lallery@tm.edu or marsha.m@tm.edu
TMCC Library
Citing Your Sources
Use the format below to add Internet resources to a bibliography:
Author. Title of Website. Web address or URL. Copyright date. Date you
found the information.
There are other great resources that will help you to cite your sources :
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/
www.easybib.com
Research Sources
There are also many great resources to help you as you research:
http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/getting_started.html
http://www.ithacalibrary.com/research/
Thank You!
If you have any questions
please see Laisee or Marsha
in the library !
Works Cited
"Primary vs Secondary Sources." Primary vs
Secondary Sources. Princeton University
Library, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.
"Research About Our Definitions: All Forms of
a Word (noun, Verb, Etc.) Are Now Displayed
on One Page." Merriam-Webster. MerriamWebster, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.
"Using Primary Sources on the Web."
American Library Association. American
Library Association, 2003. Web. 22 Jan. 2013.