LibGuides: World Literature 2 (Addison): Sources--Identifying & Using

Primary Documents

What is a primary document?

A useful introduction to primary documentation is available from RUSA, the Reference & User Services Association of the American Libraries Association.
Examples of primary documents/sources include: original documents (like the actual United States Constitution), research articles, diaries, interviews, personal accounts of events, eye-witness experiences and live-action news.

--created by Indiana University East-Campus Library

Refereed/Peer-reviewed?--from Indiana University East

Definition of Peer Review:
Experts in a field (singly or several people) review an author's work by its written description for methods, plausibility, completeness, ethics, etc. to "weed-out" poorly documented/conceived research, implausible research, poorly constructed research, dishonest research,etc. The hard sciences may also apply a more stringent idea of peer-reviewed by including the idea of blind peer-review. This kind of peer review excludes author and other personal information from the review process. In this case the "editor" as a peer-reviewer is removed from the process.

--created by Indiana University East--Campus Library