The umbrella of social sciences encompasses a broad range of disciplines and majors. It is interdisciplinary and incorporates a broad range of studies and discourses. There are, however, some similarities in terms of some of the research methods and types of sources that researchers might use when doing research.
While this list is by no means exhaustive, below are some of the examples of disciplines you might find within the umbrella of the social sciences.
Social Science research is unique in that it shares similarities in its primary sources with both the humanities and the sciences in terms of primary sources. The overlap can sometimes be confusing, and if you have questions the best idea is to reach out to your instructor or the liaison librarian who works within your subject area. However, there are some examples below that provide some ideas of what might be considered primary sources for social science research.
Original research published in peer-reviewed journals can sometimes be hard to identify but there are a few ways to do so. One way is to become familiar with the types of studies and methodologies that are common in your field. For example, a longitudinal study completed in an education journal where there is also a clearly laid out experimental methodology, discussion of results, and potentially graphs or tables that further describe the data then you are probably looking at an original research article.
In a broader sense, though, original research often has a clear question at the beginning; methodology that clearly lays out how the research was completed (and could thus be replicated by others); a results section that may include data presented in images, graphs, or tables; and a discussion that breaks down what those results mean in terms of the question that was introduced in the beginning of the article. The author, or authors, will typically explain too what other research has been completed in this area of study prior to this one - but its primary focus is not prior research studies.
If you have trouble discerning if it is or is not original research, reaching out to your instructor or the library is a great idea!
Just because a source is considered primary doesn't mean you can use it without looking at it with a critical eye. Much like when you look at other sources, you have to consider elements of it's creation and intended use. Some good questions to ask yourself are very similar to the questions you might ask yourself when you are looking at webpages or other sources you're analyzing.
The Kraemer Family Library has resources to help you find primary sources, both within our collections and beyond. Research guides related to your discipline can be a great place to start further research, and the subject librarian who works with your discipline is a great resource too.