This document describes a primary sources quiz designed to test students' understanding of primary and secondary sources. The quiz presents students with citations and asks them to determine if each source is primary or secondary and scholarly. The purpose is to engage students in discussing sources beyond just right/wrong answers. When used in classes, it was found that students had difficulty identifying republished primary sources and determining scholarship based just on citations. However, students were able to understand government documents and oral histories as primary sources. The outcomes were that students developed a more complex understanding of analyzing source context and content.

1. Primary Sources Quiz
FLASH PRESENTATIONS ON ACTIVE LEARNING
TECHNIQUES
DIANA KING
6/15/2012

2. Context and History
 Originally for Women’s Studies 187 (Senior Research
Seminar), 2010-2011
 Designed for research papers and annotated
bibliographies requiring the use of diverse primary
resources
 Used twice, once with 8 questions, and for a shorter
session with 4 questions

3. Purpose and Goals
 Purpose: To test students’ understanding of what can
constitute a primary source in the humanities and
social sciences, and what can be considered
“scholarly.”
 Goal: For students to learn the importance of context
when using and analyzing resources
 Goal: To engage students in discussion about
resources beyond right/wrong answers
 Time: approximately 15 minutes, depending on
number of questions

4. Steps
 Compile course-appropriate resource examples, and
make them available in class and/or online
 Students in groups determine if the title is a primary
source or not, and if it is scholarly. This can be done
in advance of the class, if desired, via SurveyMonkey
or another tool.
 Students explain their answers, especially when
there is a split response. Ask them to specify not just
what the source is, but in what context they would
actually use it in a paper.

5. The Quiz
Available at: http://tinyurl.com/primaryquiz
Library Workshop Quiz: Look at the resources below, and consider if you think they are (1) primary or
secondary resources, and (2) scholarly resources.
1. Fairfax, Marion. "The Feminine Mind in Picture Making." Film Daily (7 June 1925), p. 9
excerpted. Reprinted in: Women's Writings on the First Fifty Years of Cinema. Ed. by
Antonia Lant. London: Versom 2006: p. 655.
2. Population data on race from 2010 U.S. Census:
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/
3. Swarr, Amanda Lock, and Richa Nagar, eds. Critical Transnational Feminist Praxis.
Albany: State University of New York Press, 2010.
4. Henry, G.W. and Galbraith, H.M. "Constitutional Factors in Homosexuality." The
American Journal of Psychiatry 90.6 (May 1934): 1249-1270.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/90/6/1249
5. Los Angeles Art Community Group Portrait: Corita Kent. Interviewed by Bernard Galm.
Oral History Program, University of California, Los Angeles: 1977.
6. Flores, Edward. Faith and Community: Recovering Gang Members in Los Angeles. Ph.D.
Dissertation, University of Southern California, 2010.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=2140303371&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=48051&RQT=30
7. Wikipedia article on Margaret Sanger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger
8. Friedman, Linda. "Shades of Pink." YM (April 2002); 149-51.

6. Observations
• Few students actually looked at the resources themselves
—only the citations
• The majority of students could not identify a republished
primary source in a current anthology
• Many students assumed that a scholarly resource could
only be a secondary resource, and was authoritative
regardless of publication date or other factors
• Based on citation alone, students could not identify an
article as “popular” when they weren’t familiar with the
title
• Students easily understood and were able to identify
government documents and oral histories/interviews.

7. Outcomes
 Students have more complex understanding of
analyzing the context and content of resources,
rather than simply “plugging in” quotes
 Many students asked for additional assistance and
consultations on their bibliographies after the class
 Students understand how publication and editing
work in different mediums (ex.: Wikipedia)

8. For the Future?
 Little formal assessment thus far, but this could be
done as a pre- and post- instruction quiz, in
consultation with faculty member
 Discussion is central to the quiz, but more of the
initial responses could be collected in advance