If you're not sure where to begin with your topic, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Library for helping in identifying appropriate places to search for sources.
Our hours are posted here: https://wvu.libcal.com/hours
During our open hours, we can be reached in person at the front desk, by phone at 304.788.6901, or you can send us an email at any time either to myself (ngardner@mail.wvu.edu) or our library director (virginia.stephens@mail.wvu.edu). We're happy to help!
You can also message us on Facebook Messenger - @PotomacStateLibrary
The Vietnam War is a historically contentious conflict. It lasted for 19 years and involved multiple countries fighting by-proxy. For a general overview of the Vietnam War, Wikipedia is a reliable source. However, you should not cite Wikipedia for the same reason you wouldn't cite any other encyclopedia for your research assignments in college. It is a tertiary source reviewing primary and secondary sources -- and you are now budding scholars who should be critically reading and analyzing primary and secondary sources for yourself.
Your instructor wants you to use a mix of primary and secondary sources in your research assignment. It is critical you understand the difference.
The following was adapted from "Primary sources: A research guide" by Healey Library (UMass Boston):
Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. Primary sources can include:
Secondary Sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use primary sources. They can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis. Secondary sources can include:
Whether something is a primary or secondary source often depends upon the topic and its use.
A biology textbook would be considered a secondary source if in the field of biology, since it describes and interprets the science but makes no original contribution to it.
On the other hand, if the topic is science education and the history of textbooks, textbooks could be used a primary sources to look at how they have changed over time.
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Primary Sources |
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Secondary Sources |
Artwork | Article critiquing the piece of art | |
Diary | Book about a specific subject | |
Interview | Biography | |
Letters | Dissertation | |
Performance | Review of play | |
Poem | Treatise on a particular genre of poetry | |
Treaty | Essay on a treaty |