Reference sources
have limitations on the amount of information they can provide. The
next step in the research process is to examine the secondary sources
that you found listed in the reference sources you consulted and recorded
on your note cards.
Once you locate
the secondary sources, you don't need to read the source from cover
to cover. A 300 page definitive history of Abigail Adams would take
you two months to read. Instead, begin by looking at the Table of Contents,
Bibliography and Notes sections of the source. You should examine chapters
that are relevant to your research and pay close attention to the footnotes
provided by the author. Footnotes are references to supplemental
information about the text and can include citations to documents or
secondary sources the author consulted in his research. Each note is
given a number, which is embedded within the text of the book. The numbers
correspond to either a Notes section in the back of the book
or a footnote at the bottom of the page on which the text appears. The
information presented in footnotes provides connections for locating
new information sources. If an author mentions a citation in a footnote
that is related to your research, follow up on it, locate the source,
and examine it. Tracking footnotes is an integral part of the research
process. By jumping from citations in footnotes to the sources they
refer to, you will uncover vital pieces of information related to your
research that you may not find elsewhere.
