1	AJ1 Introduction to the Administration of Justice Instructors Harvey Siegel & A. Smith Fall 2004 Library Information Competency Workshop #3
2	Distinguishing between Primary and Secondary Sources Primary Sources Material written or produced in the actual time being investigated. This implies that the researcher cannot go further back to any existing sources for this source. Examples: Diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, manuscripts, memoirs, autobiographies, government records, records of organizations Published materials (books and journal/newspaper articles) written at the time about a particular event Documentary: photographs, audio recordings, movies or videos Public opinion polls, field notes, scientific experiments, artifacts Reprinted primary sources Maps, oral histories postcards, court records, paintings, sculptures, consumer surveys, patents, schematic drawings, technical reports, personal accounts, jewelry, private papers, deeds, wills, proceedings, census data (Grossmont, Primary vs. Secondary Sources)
3	Distinguishing between Primary and Secondary Sources (cont’d) Secondary Sources Records generated by an event but written by non-participants in the event. Based on or derived from primary sources, but they have been interpreted or analyzed. Examples Encyclopedias, chronologies, fact books Biographies, monographs, dissertations General histories Most journal articles (except those written at the time) Most published books (except those published at the time, reprints of primary sources, or autobiographies) (Grossmont, Primary vs. Secondary Sources)
4	Distinguishing between Legal Primary and Secondary Sources (cont’d) Overview: Primary and Secondary Sources The materials that you will use for legal research are generally divided into two broad categories: primary sources and secondary sources. Primary sources are those that are statements of the law from a governmental entity, such as a court, legislature, executive agency, President, or Governor. You have already used some primary materials for legal research: statutes and cases, for example. Secondary sources, on the other hand, are materials written by legal commentators, such as law professors, judges, and lawyers. Secondary sources discuss, explain, and analyze what the law is or what it should be. In addition, secondary sources provide extensive citations to primary legal materials and other relevant secondary sources. (Georgetown, Legal Primary and Secondary Sources)
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8	Secondary Sources Juvenile Justice Hate Crimes Three Strikes Neighborhood Watch
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10	Book from the Online Catalog
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12	Bibliography Legal Primary and Secondary Sources. Georgetown University. 22 July 2004. http://www.ll.georgetown.edu/tutorials/second/print.html Primary vs. Secondary Sources. Nov. 2002. Grossmont College Library. 15 July 2004. http://www.grossmont.edu/