Explanation of Terms Used to Describe Different Kinds of Research Sources

A student wrote to ask what was meant by "outside refernce-both online and print," in the description of the research topics in this week's assignments.  I thought everyone could benefit from the answer, and it is my custom to publish such questions and answers here in the class announcements.  For asking a question which helps many in the class learn, the student will receive one point extra credit on her final class grade.  It's my way of encouraging good questions from you.  


Here is my explanation:

"There are two kinds of sources, primary and secondary.  A primary source is the text you want to understand and interpret.  In the case of our assignment, King's letter is the primary source.  When you read or find references within the letter to help you say something about the letter, you are using the letter as a primary source.  For instance, quoting the salutation to the ministers would be using a quote from your primary source to make sense of your primary source.  This is the basic idea behind analysis, that is, breaking your primary source down into parts and examining the parts closely to help you make better sense of the whole text.

When you create a text, like a paper or post about your primary text, you are creating a secondary source, that is, you are creating a text which explains your primary text/source.  The secondary source you create joins any number of other secondary sources created to attempt to explain the primary source or text.  Taken together these secondary sources form what is referred to as "the discourse" or "conversation" about the primary text.

When you use someone else's explanation of the primary source you are both trying to explain, you are said to be using a secondary or "outside" source.  This is a source or text created to help make sense of a primary  source.  Secondary sources can be found in any number of places.  You can go online and google a website which explains, for instance, who the audience was for King's letter.  Such a secondary source, would be called an "online secondary source."  You can also go to the library and find a journal article or a section of a book which explains King's audience, this kind of secondary source would be a print secondary source.  

Because print sources often require expert peers to approve and act as readers for print sources before they appear in print, in academic conversations, print secondary sources are considered more likely to be legitimate than online secondary sources which don't require this prior approval of experts in the field to be published.  There is no denying, however, that online sources are often easier to find and use, as you can find and use online sources any place you can find an internet connection.  My guess is that how we judge the legitimacy of online versus print secondary sources will continue to change in the near future; however, for right now, those who participate or use professional discourse, that is, professionals and academics like students and teachers, need to know to find and use both online and print secondary sources.

While the research topic your group will be exploring will have you looking at both kinds of sources, and I wrote the description of the research topic accordingly, for this week's assignments, all you need to do is to decide as a group which of the three topics you will research and, later, write about.  This week, you are also re-reading the letter and taking primary source notes, finding references within the text which will help you explain aspects of the rhetoric of King's letter.  The kinds of quotes and examples you look for and take notes on as you re-read the letter will depend on the topic your group picks to research, so that is the place to begin."

As always, write with any questions.

Steve