Take the Information Literacy Test to excel in assessing, evaluating, and applying information effectively. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions with comprehensive explanations. Prepare for success!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a secondary resource?

Understanding secondary resources means recognizing works that analyze or summarize information from original sources rather than presenting new data. An encyclopedia entry does exactly this: it surveys what is known about a topic, pulls together explanations from many sources, and provides a concise, synthesized overview. It’s not reporting new experiments or personal experiences, which would be primary. An autobiography offers a first-person account of a person’s life (primary). Journal articles often report original research findings (primary), while textbooks also summarize established knowledge, but encyclopedias are especially built to provide topic-by-topic overviews drawn from multiple sources, making them classic examples of secondary resources in many library contexts.

Understanding secondary resources means recognizing works that analyze or summarize information from original sources rather than presenting new data. An encyclopedia entry does exactly this: it surveys what is known about a topic, pulls together explanations from many sources, and provides a concise, synthesized overview. It’s not reporting new experiments or personal experiences, which would be primary. An autobiography offers a first-person account of a person’s life (primary). Journal articles often report original research findings (primary), while textbooks also summarize established knowledge, but encyclopedias are especially built to provide topic-by-topic overviews drawn from multiple sources, making them classic examples of secondary resources in many library contexts.