Tutorial

Types of Sources

There are several variations of sources and types of sources used. The list below explains the differences of each and also spells out the correct method to cite a source.

Some types of sources are linked to the available finding aids or collections on the Archives website.

Variations:

• Primary Sources

  Materials which are contemporary to the events being examined. Such sources include diaries, letters, newspapers, magazine articles, tape recordings, pictures, and maps. These materials may have appeared in print before, edited or unedited, and still be a source.

  
  Board of Trustees Minutes (UA315)

• Secondary Sources

  Works that interpret or analyze a historical event or phenomenon.

• Citing a Source:

  When citing a source, it is important to acknowledge the collection name, box and location of the institution.

  For example:

  Robert Lee Dodd Photograph Collection (VAM 22), Archives, Library and Information Center, Georgia Institute of Technology.
  
  

Types:

• Manuscripts

  Collections contain original papers of faculty, staff, and alumni related to Georgia Tech.

  
  George P. Burdell Telegram (MF047)

• Visual Materials

  Consists of the Georgia Tech Photographs Collection, architectural drawings, personal photograph collections of faculty and alumni, and sports-related photographs.

  
  George Griffin Photograph Collection (VAC002)

  University Archives

  Collections represent papers that provide historical accounts of the daily administration of Georgia Tech.

• Rare Books

  Collection includes history of science and technology, history of textiles, and science fiction. Outstanding among the titles are the first three editions of Newton's Principia and the Blaeu Atlas.

• Memorabilia

  Georgia Tech 3-D objects that range from rat caps, buttons, belt buckles, football tickets, and cheerleading uniforms.

• Faculty Books

  Duplicate copies housed in the archives as well as in the library's general collection.

• Sponsored Research

  Go to the Library's Institutional Repository, SMARTech
  

• Theses/Dissertations

  Go to the Library's Institutional Repository, SMARTech