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green rule
Relevance: point of view and primary vs secondary sources

Things to Consider:

  • Does the information express a particular point of view, or is the information balanced - providing all points of view? 
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology Some documents attempt to provide objective (not opinionated) information. Scholarly journals are a good example of this type of publication...
... while others attempt to express subjective or personal views  Inside the NRA: An Expose'
  • Is the information a primary or secondary source?
Some assignments require the use of primary sources. Raw data, diaries, letters, manuscripts, and firsthand reports of events - actual evidence of what may have happened - are considered primary sources. 
 
tabular data from the U.S. Census The Kikuchi Diary - firsthand account of a Japanese-American sent to an internment camp during WWII

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primary sources

 

 Information that has been analyzed and interpreted is considered a secondary source.
 

an analysis of census data Democracy on Trial - a political critique of the U.S. policy toward Japanese-Americans during WWII
secondary sources

 

green rule
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Adapted with permission from Oasis, San Francisco State University http://oasis.sfsu.edu

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