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Find Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary Sources

Use this guide to determine what type of source to use in your research and coursework.

Find Tertiary Sources

 

The Library has a wide variety of encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other tertiary material. Oftentimes, this materials is difficult to find.  Please contact staff at the reference desk when you need assistance.

These works summarize the research on a particular topic in a user-friendly form or list primary and secondary sources.  In the research process, tertiary sources should be your first step for gathering information about a topic.

About Tertiary Sources

 

Tertiary sources of information are based on a collection of primary and secondary sources. Tertiary sources are:

  • works which list primary and secondary resources in a specific subject area

  • works which index, organize and compile citations to, and show you how to use, secondary (and sometimes primary) sources

  • materials in which the information from secondary sources has been "digested" - reformatted and condensed, to put it into a convenient, easy-to-read form

  • sources which are once removed in time from secondary sources

Examples of tertiary sources include:

  • textbooks (sometimes considered as secondary sources)
  • dictionaries and encyclopedias
  • manuals, guidebooks, directories, almanacs
  • indexes and bibliographies
  • almanacs and fact books
  • bibliographies (may also be secondary)
  • chronologies
  • dictionaries and encyclopedias (may also be secondary)
  • directories
  • guidebooks, manuals etc.
  • handbooks and data compilations (may also be secondary)
  • indexing and abstracting tools used to locate primary & secondary sources (may also be secondary)
  • textbooks (may also be secondary