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reflection on analyzing secondary sources
Patrimonio Designs Limited. 9 Nov. 2009.
A Game of Tug of War
A Game of Tug of War
The purpose of a secondary source is to assist you whether that be in providing you context and background, theoretical support, or as an interpretive argument. Like in a game of tug of war, secondary sources are used to make an argument stronger and more credible. The more sources you have, the better your argument will be. However, that does not mean you should be using tens of sources in your argument. In a game of tug of war, you could have 10 skinny men or 5 really strong men. Who would win? As the phrase goes, it's better to have quality over quantity. When it comes to selecting sources, you should choose ones that heavily support your argument or ones that challenge the way that you think. A good writer is one that can take the ideas of others as well as information provided by credible sources, and use it articulate to their own opinions and ideas. So how do I do it?
The process of which I go through to analyze my secondary sources starts from finding the source itself. When I'm looking through an array of sources, I always begin with using key terms that relate to my topic of choice (granted that I am not always given a list of ready-to-use sources as we were provided with for this essay) to find my sources. Then, I utilize what I consider as the best thing to find sources in a fast-paced but efficient method: reading the abstract provided by an article. In a majority scholarly articles, authors will provide an abstract that allows readers to know what they're signing up for as it gives a brief overview of the article. After I read through some abstracts, I choose ones that I believe will aid me in my argument. Then I go to my next steps.
Blurring the Lines
Blurring the Lines
Looking at a fresh article, I began the process of skimming or in my own words, blurring the text altogether. I do this method as a way to locate phrases and pieces of evidence that stand out from the rest of the text. Rather than reading an article word by word, I use the previous key terms (as well as ideas relating to my topic) that I used to find the article as a means of finding lines that are relevant to my argument.
Selecting the "Good" Lines
Selecting the "Good" Lines
After I find lines that stand out from an initial read, I go back from the start and begin the process of highlighting an article. The lines that I highlight (such as the example above) are key phrases that I have deemed to be sufficient to support my argument or provide me with relevant context/background. If I do not have the tools to highlight an article, I resort to opening a separate google document and copying and pasting the evidence there (I often prefer to do this as it saves me time when I begin to write my essay).
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have" - Thomas Jefferson
"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have" - Thomas Jefferson
The Final Stretch
The Final Stretch
In a last attempt to pull the rope over to your side, you must put your best efforts and strength down (or that is towards your side) for the last few moments. The same idea goes with analyzing secondary sources. There is no purpose of using a secondary source if you do not understand its value and purpose and its power that it holds. Granted I mentioned I skim over sources to find what I need, but I also take a moment to understand why the secondary source was created. I attempt to find the central claims made in the source as it allows me to understand why this source was written this way, and how I can utilize this information as my own evidence. Additionally, I look at how the source presents itself whether that be visually, auditorily, and etc. I look at the language used, and how the author presents their evidence through their words and phrasing. This allows me to see what type of scholarly conversation I'm engaging in and the works' rhetorical purpose. Is the author being satirical or is the author being serious or are they being both? This is helpful as the way other authors analyze primary sources or use information from other scholarly sources can set up an example of how I can go about when constructing my own argument. When it comes to unfamiliar works, names, and etc., I either use context clues to make an assumption of what the author's doing or I resort to a quick (credible) google search. I prefer secondary sources that reference the primary source primarily with few references to additional scholarly sources as I tend to mix up sources.
In summation, secondary sources are a great way to help your argument and are a great resource for scholarly conversations in the future. Just like a tug of war team pulling a rope, a great selection of secondary sources allows you to win over your audience with your equipped argument.
Works Cited
Oukaderova, Lida. “I Am Cuba and the Space of Revolution.” Film & History, vol. 44, no. 2, 2014, pp. 4–21, https://doi.org/10.1353/flm.2014.a562886.
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