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Home: 6. Using sources

13th June to 22nd June 2018

Using Sources

Hints for Better Note Taking

Bulbs, LL 2019, Note-Taking Skills: What Methods Work for You?, viewed 11 August 2021, < http://www.learninglightbulbs.com/2019/03/note-taking-skills-what-methods-work.html >

Note-taking Tips | Ergo n.d., viewed 11 August 2021, < http://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/learn-skills/research-skills/organise-notes/note-taking-tips >.

Primary and Secondary Sources

File:Tagebücher, die Jakob Unrau während des Dienstes als Sanitäter im Ersten Weltkrieg geschrieben hat.(sieh Artikel UNRAU)..jpg

Primary Sources

A primary source is a first-hand account written by an individual who witnessed or experienced an event. Primary sources allow you to examine the evidence first-hand without the opinions, analysis, and interpretations of others. Primary sources are original documents, such as: diaries, letters, memoirs, speeches, autobiographies, certificates or legal documents and interviews. They may also include published articles in newspapers or magazines, as long as they are written soon after the event and are not historical or analytical accounts.

Audio, video and photographs may also be primary sources.

Artefacts such as buildings, pottery, furniture etc can also be primary sources of information in a particular field as they tell us something about their period.

Secondary Sources

A secondary source is a second-hand account or observation at least one step removed from the event. Secondary sources interpret, offer commentary, analyse and draw conclusions about the events described, or shown, in primary sources. Secondary sources make the information more accessible to others by bringing together information and interpreting material from a variety of primary sources. The most common secondary sources are published works -books, encyclopaedias and newspaper and journal articles.

Note: Information found on the internet can be either a primary source or a secondary source depending on what it is and how it was created.  

 

 

Organise notes

Visit Ergo - State Library of Victoria to find more help with efficient taking and organising notes.

Quoting and paraphrasing

A brief explanation of how to properly incorporate quotes in a paper. From Trumbell High School, CT, USA.

What is Plagiarism?

JCU's The Learning Centre - Video Series - What is Plagiarism and what does it look like? Clearly explains different forms of plagiarism and provides examples. James Cook University, QLD, 2016.

Understanding copyright

Understanding Copyright | Ergo 2021, viewed 04 August 2021, < http://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/learn-skills/research-skills/select-resources/copyright >.