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Finding Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary Sources

tips for searching and evaluating

Tertiary Sources -- in a minute!

Tertiary Source Types in the "All" Search

The only specific source type you will find in the library  One Search is labeled reference. If that doesn't come up in your search, don't give up!

Check the top of your results list before you change any thing in the menu. Is there a Research Starter at the top? Many searches will, and if yours does, you're in luck. This is an article from a reference (tertiary) source that will give you helpful background on your topic and suggestions for further research -- keywords and additional sources, for example.

Tertiary Sources: the mashup

Tertiary Sources:  Sources that assemble information from a variety of primary and secondary sources. The viewpoint is general and most removed from the original source.

Examples:  Dictionaries, encyclopedias, databases, abstracts, directories, indexes, fact books, almanacs, guidebooks, manuals, textbooks.

Reference Resources by Department

Scroll through reference titles about Art or Design below. To see more, click here.

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Scroll through reference titles about Biological Sciences below. To see more, click here.

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Scroll through reference titles about Business below. To see more, click here

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Scroll through reference titles about Computer science, Mathematics & Statistics below. To view more, click here.

Computer Science

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Mathematics

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Statistics

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Scroll through reference titles about Engineering below. To view more, click here.

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Scroll through new reference titles about Health Sciences below. To view more, click here.

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Scroll through new reference titles about Kinesiology below. To view more, click here.

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Scroll through reference titles about Languages, Literature & Mass Communications below. To view more, click here.

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Scroll through reference titles about Music below. To view more, click here.

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Scroll through reference titles about Physical & Environmental Sciences below. To view more, click here.

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Scroll through reference titles about Social & Behavioral Science below. To view more, click here.

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Scroll through reference titles about Teacher Education below. To view more, click here.

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Scroll through reference titles about Theatre Arts below. To view more, click here.

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