What makes a good source?

Your investigation should rely on evidence from a variety of primary and secondary sources. While the IB doesn't set a required number of sources, a good rule of thumb is at least eight unique sources cited within your investigation (section two).

You want to find sources that provide perspective on your topic, not just a narrative description. You should look for scholarly secondary sources. See below for help determining whether a source is a "scholarly source." 

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

Primary sources in history were written at the time or are first-hand accounts of what happened. Some examples of primary sources include speeches, works of art, memoirs, photographs, newspapers or media broadcasts, journals/diaries, laws, court decisions, and census records. 

Secondary sources are interpretations of events written after the fact and based upon primary sources. These may include books, academic journals, and documentaries.

Tertiary sources are third hand interpretations of historical events. They are usually written to provide the reader with a brief overview of the topic and contain little original analysis. They include encyclopedias, Wikipedia entries, dictionaries, textbooks, etc. While these types of sources might help build your understanding of the topic, for IB level classes (and beyond), these SHOULD NOT BE USED as cited sources for academic research.

Are your sources "scholarly sources"?

Scholarly sources have been written by people who are experts in the field and have been subjected to a peer-review process. Here are some questions to help determine whether your sources are "scholarly" and should be used for your investigation. These might also help you with your OPCVL analysis in section one.

• Origin

  • Is the author's name provided?

  • Are the author's credentials provided? Are the author's credentials relevant to the topic?

  • Is the publisher's name provided? Is the publisher an academic institution, scholarly, or professional organization?

  • Is the publication date evident?

• Purpose

  • Who is the intended audience?

  • Is the language geared toward those with knowledge of a specific discipline rather than the general public?

  • Why is the information being provided?

• Content

  • Are sources cited?

  • Are conclusions based on the evidence provided?

  • Is there analysis and evaluation, or is it just a narrative account?

  • How long is the source? (Be wary of short sources that only take a few minutes to carefully read.)

Tips for Smarter Research

What the heck is a Boolean search?

A Boolean search uses modifiers such as AND, OR, NOT , (), and "". These modifiers allow you to be a lot more specific in your research. 

• Lincoln AND Douglas = both words must be in the search results

• Lincoln OR Douglas = only one must appear in the search results

• Lincoln NOT Douglas = Kennedy must appear in the search results but Cuba must not appear

• Lincoln AND (Douglas OR debate) = Lincoln must appear AND either Douglas OR debate

• "Lincoln Douglas Debate" = all three words must appear together in that order

"Advanced Search"

• When using a database or search engine, find the "Advanced Search" option. 

• This will allow you to add limiters and parameters to your search.

• Being more specific about what you want to see helps weed out the sources that won't be as useful for you. 

Recommended places to find sources