Analyzing SourcesLoyola University Chicago

The Writing Center

IC 221 (LSC), Corboy 811 (WTC)

Kinds of Sources:• There are two kinds of sources: primary, and secondary. • A primary source is a historical document, newspaper article,

or original text/work that you are investigating, such as The Magna Carta (ancient legal document), War and Peace (novel), and “The Mona Lisa.”

• A secondary source is an authority or opinion about your primary source. For example, an article written about the legal implications of The Magna Carta, or a professor’s lecture on what War and Peace has to say about Napoleonic Europe, or an art documentary about the identity of the real “Mona Lisa” subject.

• You use secondary sources to supplement your arguments about a primary source.

How to Judge a Source:• Let’s say you’re faced with a choice between using one of two

scholastic essays that seem to be saying the same thing. Which one do you choose to support your argument?

• Consider the author’s career, reputation, and ability at citing his/her own sources. A leading expert on William Shakespeare would be a more authoritative source for a fact on Shakespeare than a journalist briefly covering a Shakespearean festival.

• Go to the bibliography at the end of each essay for a look at the full citations. Make sure the author cites his or her sources.

• Try to use recently published books: generally, a publication date of 2013 would be more accessible and authoritative than one from 1971, for example.

Why isn’t Wikipedia an Acceptable Source?

• You’ve probably encountered a writing assignment that specifically banned the use of Wikipedia and other online databases as informative sources.

• Anyone can make a Wikipedia account and edit any page at any time. Do you really trust angrygoblingirl27@aol.com enough to let her support one of your facts?

• Your teacher has no way of checking that you yourself have not changed the article to reflect your own opinions.

• Finally, Wikipedia, while useful for quick reference, is not a peer-reviewed Academic publication. No one can respond to or contest articles written by others. They can only flag and change the information; there is no dialogue between scholars.

Other Questionable Sources:• Comments sections on Youtube,

Reddit, and online news or informative articles are also unlikely to impress your teacher, unless done for a specific project (i.e. on internet behavior).

• You have no way of proving the identity of these people, or of verifying the political or historical facts that “Anonymous” is so sure of that he will keep spamming the wall with sarcastic replies to “masterhawkgeneral11” until he loses interest or gets cyberbullied/banned.

Blogs: To Use or Not to Use?

• Suppose you Google the terms in your essay assignment and find a very informative blog written by a professor with full citations.

• Sadly, blogs are not peer reviewed, so this blog cannot be cited in an essay. However, reading the blog and checking out the bibliography might provide you with genuine peer-reviewed books and articles to cite!

• There are some exceptions to this rule: if the blog is run by a university, organization, or individual, and contains authoritative information concerning said university, organization, or individual, your teacher may allow you to use it as a source. Just ask!

What Sources Can I Use?

• Whether you are writing a scientific or an arts and humanities essay, the same rule applies: use peer-reviewed scholastic sources.

• News websites like CNN, the BBC, and Reuters are acceptable sources, as long as the news article is cited in proper format, and can be found online by your teacher.

• Use JSTOR, Ebscohost, ProjectMuse, and other databases to find articles.

How Do I Find Databases?

• Go to http://libraries.luc.edu/ (Loyola Libraries website) and click on “Databases” in the bottom left corner under “Find.”

• There you can search for databases by name, by subject, by media type, or simply scroll down the list of Loyola’s available databases until you find one that looks promising.

• Also located under “Find” is the link to “Research Guides.” If you click on that, you can search for your paper topic, and possibly get some ideas from the available guides.

Newspaper Databases• Newspapers are an often over-looked

primary source, containing first-hand accounts or historical documents that can be cited as fact.

• Many newspaper and magazine databases can be accessed through the Loyola Libraries website, such as the:

i. Chicago Sun-Times (1986-current).ii. New York Times (1851-2007)iii. Times Digital Archive (Civil War-20th

century)iv. Early American Newspapers (1690-

1876)

LUC’s Online E-Books

• Loyola also boasts an impressive number of eBooks that can be accessed online through the library website under “Find.” Simply search the online book catalogue Pegasus or Worldcat Local for your subject.

• Scroll down to the “Format” section on the left hand side of your results. Check the “eBook” box to view and read the available titles.

Other Ways to Find Databases:• Other Chicago universities such as

Northwestern University, University of Chicago, and UIC might have access to other useful databases.

• Contact Loyola librarians at http://libraries.luc.edu/ by clicking “Ask a Librarian” under “Help,” if you have difficulty finding sources, or need a particular database not available through LUC’s library.