Saturday, October 1, 2011

Dividing Research: Ch 5 Envision

The key to writing a complete and cohesive research paper requires accurate and factual research. There are two types of sources that should be used in an effective research paper. These two sources have been divided by scholars into what is called a primary and secondary source. I'm going to spend all of this journal on primary and secondary sources because the text before that is pretty self explanatory.
The definition of a primary source states, "Original texts you analyze in your research paper". In other words, these are documents that were created by the witnesses or first recorders of these events at about the time they occurred. For my history class we had to complete an essay of an important historical event comparing and contrasting primary and secondary sources of that event. I chose to do my paper on Anne Frank. I knew instantaneously what would be my primary source for her. My primary source for Anne Frank was, Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl. All of her journal entries are in this book. This is considered a primary source because it was actually written by Anne Frank herself.
A secondary source is, "a source that provides commentary on your primary material or on your topic in general." In other words, a source that was created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or who wasn't involved in the event that you are researching is a secondary source. I found it interesting to find that the paper I will soon be writing will be a secondary source as well. I never really thought of it like that until now.
To write a research paper that is understandable and has valid information, both primary and secondary sources must be used.

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