Identifying Primary Sources in Various Media: TEAS

Basic Terms and Terminology Relating to Identifying Primary Sources in Various Media

• A primary source: A primary source is a text that is directly written by an author; it is a first hand original document. Primary sources also include original photos, original pieces of art and sculpture, and original artifacts. Primary sources come directly from the "horse's mouth" so to speak.
• A secondary source: A secondary source, unlike a primary source, comes from a primary source and it is a second hand document that relates back to some primary source.
• A tertiary source: A tertiary source, unlike a primary and secondary source, is third hand information that is derived from secondary sources, and so on.

Primary Sources

Primary sources, secondary and tertiary sources are used in academic scholarly texts.

A primary source is a text that is directly written by an author; it is a first hand original document. It comes directly from the "horse's mouth" so to speak. A secondary source, unlike a primary source, comes from a primary source and it is a second hand document that relates back to some primary source. A tertiary source, unlike a primary and secondary source, is third hand information that is derived from secondary sources, and so on.

As you can probably imagine, the further from the source the less reliable, complete and accurate is the information. In academic scholarly writing, primary sources are strongly encouraged and secondary and tertiary, and even further removed sources with, sometimes, many degrees of separation and many steps away from the primary source, are strongly discouraged unless a primary source cannot be located. The greater the degree of separation from the primary source, the more changed and less valuable the message of the original text or work is.

Take a look at some primary sources in literature, art, photography and historical documents:

• Diary of Anne Frank
• Mona Lisa
• Paquius Proculus an wife

RELATED TEAS INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE & IDEAS CONTENT:

• Identifying Primary Sources in Various Media (Currently here)
• Using Evidence from a Text to Make Predictions and Inferences and to Draw Conclusions About a Piece of Writing
• Comparing and Contrasting Themes From Print and Other Sources
• Evaluating an Argument and Its Specific Claims

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Alene Burke, RN, MSN

Alene Burke RN, MSN is a nationally recognized nursing educator. She began her work career as an elementary school teacher in New York City and later attended Queensborough Community College for her associate degree in nursing. She worked as a registered nurse in the critical care area of a local community hospital and, at this time, she was committed to become a nursing educator. She got her bachelor’s of science in nursing with Excelsior College, a part of the New York State University and immediately upon graduation she began graduate school at Adelphi University on Long Island, New York. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Adelphi with a double masters degree in both Nursing Education and Nursing Administration and immediately began the PhD in nursing coursework at the same university. She has authored hundreds of courses for healthcare professionals including nurses, she serves as a nurse consultant for healthcare facilities and private corporations, she is also an approved provider of continuing education for nurses and other disciplines and has also served as a member of the American Nurses Association’s task force on competency and education for the nursing team members.