How to Work With Secondary Sources

A Personal Interpretation
Although secondary sources are easier to read than primary ones, they are trickier.

A secondary source is a personal interpretation.
The person who wrote it, neither witnessed nor participated in the event. The author read about it in a primary source or in another secondary source.

As children we played the whisper game.
The first child whispers a sentence to the 2nd child.
The 2nd child whispers the same sentence to the 3rd and so on to the end of the line.
When the 1st child and the last one compare sentences, the results are hilarious.

Yes, the results are hilarious in a child's game. The same results in historical research are serious.

Read To Understand
Read the article or watch the film several times. Look up new vocabulary or old words used in a surprising way.

Use Your Own Words
Notes in your own words mean something. Notes you copy straight from a book are useless.

Summarize
Write a summary of the document. Keep it short and write it in your own words.

Follow Ups
Indicate in your notes:
1) leads you want to follow
2) items you want to check.
3) your thoughts.

Evaluation Forms
Rate every source used.
Although a document may look serious and the author may claim he is an expert, it does not mean this is true. Always stay in control.

Whenever I am impressed by a source, I think of the old saying: don't judge a book by its cover.