In academic writing, integrating sources is mandatory to prove and support our argument or point. It states that we have taken an academic look at whatever piece of writing we make. Finding, selecting, and reading sources are integrated steps where we need to read one relevant source just to find the other possible sources to fill the gaps and new questions arise.
Sources can be categorized into 3 distinct types: primary, secondary, and tertiary. To put simply, we can think of these as first-hand, second-hand, and third-hand. Although there is a thin line between these three types of sources, understanding these distinctions is beneficial to help us compose our research proposals.
When formulating a research proposal, pay attention to these three steps in employing the three sources. The following steps are shown in Figure 2.1.
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Refer to Primary Sources for Evidence
Primary sources are original materials which provide first-hand information, data, or evidence about the things we are researching. It can be in the form of anything, such as documents, objects, works of arts, written text, recordings, newspapers, and it usually is the main object of our research or analysis. Primary sources allow us to bring forth new discoveries, offer credible evidence, and provide authoritative information regarding our chosen topic.
When analyzing historical events, you have no direct access to get there. Therefore, you need primary sources that were produced during that time by witnesses or participants back then. It can include letters, photographs, magazines, paintings, and etc.
However, when we want to analyze something recent, the primary sources can be the data we collect ourself (via surveys, interviews, or experiments) or perhaps the data made by people who experience the event, topic, or phenomena first-hand, such as official documents or media texts. To find some samples of primary sources, we can refer to Table 2.1
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Read Secondary Sources for Insight and Support
Secondary sources are anything whose contents are based on primary sources. They describe, analyze, testify, interpret, or evaluate information, data, or evidence from primary sources. Some examples of secondary sources include books, articles, papers, journals, documentaries, reviews, essays, encyclopedias, textbooks, and synopses.
Turabian (2019) mentioned that there are three functions of secondary sources as follows:
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To stay current with contemporary research findings: Keeping up with the latest findings is beneficial to spot a potential and fresh gap to fill with new information or findings.
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To discover a different perspective: Secondary sources may provide us with opposite views of yours. Acknowledging and mentioning the contrary opinions will fortify our research paper; it shows the readers our confidence towards our argument or claim.
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To create models for our own research: Reading secondary sources does not just help us know what previous researchers have written, but how they have written as well. Furthermore, it becomes a model to navigate us in creating our own papers. When we are writing a topic, we must want to seem like an expert; therefore, getting inspiration from secondary sources can help us to appear so. It can be the language style, the evidence chosen, the length of the paragraphs, and so on.
If it is difficult to distinguish primary vs secondary sources, Table 2.2 shows some examples to help us distinguish them.
!Pay attention!
Some examples of sources can be primary and secondary sources. Our research question can change secondary sources to become primary sources. To explain it crystal clear, let’s take a look at the examples below:
c. Read tertiary sources for overview or synopses
Tertiary sources are anything that combines information produced by the secondary sources. The examples can include textbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and published articles (e.g. The Atlantic and Time). Tertiary sources usually serve as the broad overview or synopses for your topic. However, relying solely on tertiary sources for your academic writing will only undermine the credibility of your research work. Therefore, it is essential to complement your tertiary sources with both primary and secondary sources to strengthen your arguments.