In addition to primary and secondary sources, tertiary sources are also an important part of any research. Tertiary sources are one step removed from a secondary source. These sources are compilations of information that are sorted, organized and typically in a digest form. They generally present basic facts with little interpretation and no one particular point of view. Tertiary sources draw information from both primary and secondary sources and their purpose is to give an overview of the information.Examples of tertiary sources include:- Encyclopedias, dictionaries
- Some textbooks
- Handbooks, guidebooks, manuals
- Classification, chronology and other fact books
- Indexes and abstracts
A tertiary source can be a very good starting point for most types of research. It can give you a broad overview of a topic in a very easily digestible form. These sources can showcase a wide variety of topics and ideas about those topics which can help you determine a direction and focus for your research. If you don’t know what all your options are, it can be difficult to decide exactly where to go with your research. One tertiary source that is not only often overlooked, but also discouraged by many, is Wikipedia. While Wikipedia is user driven with little oversight, it has been around long enough that most of the entries have been reviewed and edited by many other users. Today’s Wikipedia is very similar to the encyclopedias that my generation used for research and is a very good jumping off point. Not only will you get an overview of information for almost any topic you can imagine, but at the bottom of most every Wikipedia page you will also find a list of references which can be extremely useful in tracking down more specific information.Wikipedia posts are not the only places you can find lists of resources. Every book, every journal article, every research paper and many websites will also have a bibliography included which is an excellent place to find more sources. Finally, don’t forget relatives, friends, or other SCA members who have studied similar topics. They will not only be able to give you direction in finding information, they probably would also be thrilled to tell you all about their own research and projects.