Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 03:28, 18 December 2007

The following is a proposed Misplaced Pages policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption.

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This page in a nutshell: Sources should be critically evaluated to assess authorship, credibility, and objectivity. Any source that has not itself been evaluated prior to publication must only be used with caution and should be only used to make strictly factual, descriptive comments.

Evaluating sources refers to assessment of the use of sources in Misplaced Pages, within the context of relevant content policies. Source evaluation is usually facilitated by classing sources and their uses as primary, secondary, or tertiary. Source evaluation should always include checking for source bias and assessment of arguments used by sources.

Appropriate sourcing is a complicated issue, and these are general rules. The decision as to what type of sources are more suitable on any given situation is a matter of common sense, good editorial judgment, and context, and should be discussed on individual article talk pages to achieve consensus among the involved editors. In cases where a consensus is not forthcoming, it may be helpful to seek some assistance in reaching an agreement.

Definitions

Classing sources as primary, secondary, or even tertiary is common and is usually helpful in evaluating a source. However, the common terms "primary", "secondary", and "tertiary" may be used differently in different contexts. (For example, scientists may refer to "the primary literature" while humanities scholars may describe similar literature as "the secondary literature".) To minimize conflict and confusion, ensure that all editors are using the terms in the same way, and understand how you are using the terms.

Primary, secondary, and tertiary sources (categorical view)

Sources may be divided into three basic categories of how they relate to the subject being written about. For the purposes of Misplaced Pages content policies and guidelines, primary, secondary and tertiary sources are broadly defined as follows:

• Primary sources are original works and unevaluated data. Depending on the field, this can range from speeches, personal correspondence, published editorials, manuscripts, works of fiction, incidents captured on film, witness reports, laboratory notebooks, field notes, and even artifacts. Whether opinion or observation, this material has not been evaluated by a third party; thus, the source of the material may be described as very close to the origin of the material -- its observer or creator.

• Secondary sources are reports that draw on research and other references to make interpretive, analytical, or synthesized claims, or create a general overview. This is what is commonly referred to as "peer-reviewed literature" and professional journalism; it may also include technical encyclopedias and dictionaries that compile scholarly essays. Critically, these materials have been evaluated by someone other than the creator or observer, typically through a peer review process, or editorial board policies (fact-checking), thus providing them with strong indicia of reliability.

• Tertiary sources are materials that synthesize secondary sources. This includes publications such as encyclopedias or other compendia; introductory textbooks may also be considered tertiary to the extent they sum up widely accepted results of large amounts of primary and secondary sources. It also includes "review articles" in some disciplines, although a review article might include some original commentary as well.

Examples of categorical classifications

Examples of primary sources include archaeological artifacts; photographs; historical documents such as diaries, census results, video or transcripts of surveillance, public hearings, trials, or interviews; tabulated results of surveys or questionnaires; written or recorded notes of laboratory and field research, experiments or observations; original philosophical works, religious scripture, administrative documents, and artistic and fictional works such as poems, scripts, screenplays, novels, motion pictures, videos, and television programs.

Examples of secondary sources include ....

Examples of tertiary sources include

Primary and secondary sources (relative view)

While it is sometimes useful to categorize works into categories of primary or secondary based on their genre or description, in more scholarly and academic writing, library scientists and historians generally classify works not on their genre, but on their primariness and secondariness with respect to the subject matter being discussed.

• Primary sources are original, or authoritative source for a particular thought or idea. They are typically created at roughly the time being studied, by one with direct personal knowledge of the events being described.

• Secondary sources are sources that relate or discuss information originally presented elsewhere. Secondary sources often (but not always) include generalizations, analyses, syntheses, interpretations, or evaluations of the original information.

• Tertiary sources are not often recognized as authoritative in academic writing, although the phrase is sometimes used to describe encyclopedias or other references that compile published material.

Primariness and secondariness are relative terms, and some sources may be classified as primary or secondary, or both, depending on how they are used. The distinction between primary and secondary is often a blurred one. For example, if a historical text discusses old documents to derive a new historical conclusion, it is considered to be a primary source for the new conclusion, but a secondary source of information found in the old documents.

Implications

The following section provides guidance on the use of sources as it applies to specific content policies.

Neutral point of view

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Secondary sources (categorical definition) are usually preferable because their presentations of facts, analyses, arguments, and context have been evaluated by someone other than the creator. However, despite evaluation, they may be biased or inaccurate, so caution is required to preserve the neutral point of view. Care should also be taken to avoid undue weight and ensure the information cited is used in context.

No original research

All sources should be used in a way that does not give rise to new analysis, syntheses or original conclusions that are not verifiable. Interpretive claims, analysis, or synthetic claims must be appropriately sourced; they may not be original analysis by Misplaced Pages editors.

Primary sources that have been published by a reliable source may be used in Misplaced Pages, but no original interpretations or conclusions may be drawn from primary sources. Descriptions of primary sources must hew closely to the original. Anyone, even a non-specialist, who reads the primary source should be able to verify that the Misplaced Pages passage simply reflects the content of the primary source.

Any interpretation of primary source material requires a reliable secondary source for that interpretation. To the extent that an article or particular part of an article relies on a primary source, that part of the article should:

• only make descriptive claims about the information found in the primary source, the accuracy and applicability of which is easily verifiable by any reasonable, educated person without specialist knowledge, and
• make no analytic, synthetic, interpretive, explanatory, or evaluative claims about the information found in the primary source.

Drawing conclusions not explicit in the reference cited is original research regardless of the type of source. It is important that references are cited in context and on topic.

Tertiary sources can be useful in providing context and avoiding original research in topics where there exist very large amounts of primary and/or secondary sources. "Common knowledge" claims may be cited to tertiary sources.

Verifiability

Information in an article must be verifiable in the references cited. Article statements generally should not rely on unclear or inconsistent passages, nor on passing comments. Passages open to interpretation should be precisely cited or avoided. Passages should not be taken out of context in a way that changes their meaning or interpretation. A summary of extensive discussion should reflect the conclusions of the source's author(s).

Biographies of living persons

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Material about living persons must be sourced very carefully. Without reliable secondary sources (categorical type), it will violate the No original research and Verifiability policies. Material about living persons available solely in primary sources (categorical type), in questionable sources, or sources of dubious value should be handled with caution, and, if derogatory, should not be used at all in biographies of living people, either as sources or via external links.

Material about living persons, regardless of its source, must be carefully evaluated to ensure neutral point of view, and avoid undue weight. Use of primary sources that have been unevaluated may easily lead to syntheses that constitute original research, which is not permitted in Misplaced Pages and is particularly problematic in material about living persons.

Notability

TBD

Applications of source typing

In literature, arts, and history

In articles about works of fiction

In mathematics

In political topics

In religion

In the sciences

References

1. Various professional fields treat the distinction between primary and secondary sources in differing fashions. Some fields and references also further distinguish between secondary and tertiary sources. Primary, secondary and tertiary sources are broadly defined here for the purposes of Misplaced Pages.
2. ^ Turabian, Kate L (2007). A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. The University of Chicago Press. pp. 25–27. ISBN 0226823377. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
3. Borough of Manhattan Commmunity College, A. Philip Randolph Memorial Library, "Research Help:Primary vs. Secondary Sources" notes that a secondary source "analyzes and interprets primary sources", is a "second-hand account of an historical event" or "interprets creative work". It also states that a secondary source "analyzes and interprets research results" or "analyzes and interprets scientific discoveries".
4. The National History Day website states simply that: "Secondary sources are works of synthesis and interpretation based upon primary sources and the work of other authors."
5. Booth, Wayne C. (2003). The Craft of Research. The University of Chicago Press. p. 76. ISBN 0226065685. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
6. Definitions of primary sources:
   • The University of Nevada, Reno Libraries define primary sources as providing "an inside view of a particular event." They offer as examples: original documents, such as autobiographies, diaries, e-mail, interviews, letters, minutes, news film footage, official records, photographs, raw research data, and speeches; creative works, such as art, drama, films, music, novels, poetry; and relics or artifacts, such as buildings, clothing, DNA, furniture, jewelry, pottery.
   • The University of California, Berkeley library offers this definition: "Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period. Primary sources were either created during the time period being studied, or were created at a later date by a participant in the events being studied (as in the case of memoirs) and they reflect the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer."

• Misplaced Pages proposals