Distinguish between primary, secondary, and tertiary source materials. Give an example of each as they would be employed while researching a speech topic

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: As you research your speech, you’ll need to distinguish between three types of source materials – whether in print or online: 1) Primary sources are firsthand, contemporary accounts written or spoken by someone who has had direct experience with or witnessed a particular event; there is nothing (or very little) standing between the event and the reporting of it. Examples: a paper detailing research results written by the researcher, an original study published in an academic journal, a corporation’s annual report, an eyewitness report of an accident. 2) Secondary sources are those that interpret, comment on, analyze, or summarize primary source material; someone stands between the event and the reporting of it. Examples: a research experiment appearing in a magazine article, a TV news item on a corporation’s earnings, a report by someone who talked to the eyewitness of an accident. Tertiary sources are a combination of primary and secondary sources. Examples: articles in encyclopedias, almanacs, handbooks, and guidebooks, as well as statistical compilations such as movie box office totals or Nielsen TV ratings. Examples will vary.