HIST 191/HMS 191: Health and Society in Latin America and the Caribbean

Photo by Pablo Rebolledo on Unsplash

Use the tabs in this guide to:

• Find primary and secondary sources and how to cite them
• "Geek out" on library resources

Research can be fun and exciting as you expand your knowledge and learn new things, but it can also be frustrating and messy. The Research Process is a way to manage your research so that it does not overwhelm you. Important points to remember are:

• The research process is iterative, not linear! For example, as you progress in your research, your topic may change or narrow in scope.
• Writing is a part of the process and is usually the deliverable, but it is also an important tool to use when brainstorming a topic and when synthesizing the resources you have found.

Information Timeline Graphic by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

When an event first happens, there is not a lot of information about it because information takes time to create. As your event recedes into the past, there has been time for more accurate and in-depth information to have been created. If you are not finding information on your event, consider where your event is in this timeline. Has there been enough time for a scholarly article to have been written about your event?

Primary sources, which originate at the time of an event, are published first.  Secondary sources analyze primary sources and are published later.  Tertiary sources bring together various sources.  Research draws upon primary and secondary sources.  The infographic provides some examples and details of each source type.