

However, it’s up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate.Īlways make sure to properly cite your sources to avoid plagiarism. Primary sources are often considered the most credible in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching. If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source. Year of original release Distributor details, year of edition cited. For a film, the correct format here is: Director Surname, First Name, dir. Endnotes are single-spaced with double-spaced between. For every source you cite in a footnote, you’ll need to add it to the bibliography at the end of your paper. Some types of source are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. Endnotes use the identical citation format as footnotes but are collected in a numbered-order Notes page at the end of the paper (but before the bibliography). Are you directly analyzing the source itself (primary), or only using it for background information (secondary)?.Does the source provide original information (primary), or does it summarize information from other sources (secondary)?.Was the source created by someone directly involved in the events you’re studying (primary), or by another researcher (secondary)?.

To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself:
