Research Basics: Examples of Information Sources
MC Hammer
- Primary sources
- The actual recording of MC Hammer songs
- MC Hammer's writings
- An interview with MC Hammer
- A video on VH1
- A first-hand account of a performance
- MC Hammer's own web site
- Secondary sources
- A biography about MC Hammer
- A review of one of his CDs
- A magazine article about MC Hammer
- A documentary i.e. VH1’s “Behind the Music"
- Tertiary sources
- An index or database
- A library catalog to search for books
More Examples
| SUBJECT | PRIMARY | SECONDARY | TERTIARY |
| Music | Interview with Gwar | Article critiquing song | Oxford Music Online database |
| Chemistry/Life Sciences | Madame Curie diary | Monograph on Curie life | Abstract of Curies work |
| Literature | Poem by a writer | literary critique | Literary Index |
| Humanities | Letters by Martin Luther King | Web site on King's writings | Encyclopedia on Civil Rights Movement |
| Criminal Law/Court Case | Brief filed by lawyer | Newspaper article critiquing brief | Legal Collection |
| The Arts/Actor | Birth Certificate of an actor | Biography of actor | IMDb.com database about actor |