Tertiary sources are publications that summarize and digest the information in primary and secondary sources to provide background on a topic, idea, or event.
These are sources that index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources. Some reference materials and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or simply repackage ideas or other information. Tertiary sources may not credited to a particular author.
Most of the time, you should avoid citing any encyclopedias or tertiary sources in your papers. Instead, look at the References and Bibliography sections of scholarly articles and consider using those sources instead. When in doubt about whether a source is appropriate for your assignment, ask your professor or a librarian.
It is important to note that these categories, i.e. secondary and tertiary, are not mutually exclusive. A single item may be primary or secondary (or even tertiary) depending on your research topic and the use you make of that item.
Tertiary sources occasionally have some overlap with other materials. As seen in "Secondary Sources," encyclopedias are sometimes considered secondary sources. Again, remember that you can always check with a librarian or your professor if you need help identifying the type of source you're using.
In fact, you should avoid citing any tertiary sources in your research. Instead, look at the References and Bibliography sections in Wikipedia entries and consider using those sources instead.
BUT ...the References and Bibliography section sources may be traced back to the OCC library with LibKey Nomad browser extension - Review how in the Research Wikipedia Back to Sources TAB above.
Be aware: just because something is cited in a Wikipedia article does not mean it is "scholarly" or appropriate for your assignment. When in doubt, ask a librarian or your professor.
This does not mean that you can't find valuable or accurate information in Wikipedia, but you should be aware that there is no formal peer review process in place for Wikipedia entries. Entries written by experts or vetted by an informal review process may later be edited inaccurately before you view them. Additionally, most medical and legal entries are not written by professionals and may contain inaccurate information. Use Wikipedia at your own risk and do not rely on it without checking independent sources.
**Wikipedia is not considered an appropriate source for college-level assignments**
Attribution: Information use with permission and adapted from Whittier College's Wikipedia research guide
Well-formed Wikipedia articles have a list of useful and often scholarly sources listed at the end of each page under "References", "Bibliography", or "Further Reading." In many cases, there is a hyperlink to the actual item. In some cases, however, you may need to search for the item yourself.
For books: Search the library by the book's title.
For articles: Try to search the article's title in OCC Discovery.
For anything else, a simple Google search may work. If you have trouble finding it, ask a librarian.
LibKey Nomad automatically provides instant links to articles from journals subscribed to by your library – and Open Access sources – connecting you to literature discovered on the web. LibKey Nomad works with your library to determines the fastest path to content across thousands of publishers and millions of articles.
LibKey Nomad also adds support to popular research sites like PubMed, Wikipedia (Reference Section), Research Gate, SciFinder-N, UpToDate, Micromedex and more. After installation, LibKey Nomad prompts you to select your institution. Simply select it and LibKey Nomad will then notify you of available articles wherever you may roam that direct back to your College's Library resources
To install the extension, visit: https://thirdiron.com/downloadnomad/
Example of Wikipedia page "Archaeology" revealing OCC Library Resources to connect back to:
