My historical field is the Middle East, a subject rife with misunderstanding and bias. Middle Eastern history is difficult since there is a lack of sources in English and a lack of metadata. In order to increase the quality of Middle Eastern histories being written, I offer this quick and dirty helpmate. In the first section, I offer a quick overview of what the three kinds of sources are. In the second section, I have some helpful hints on search strategies, and in the final sections, I offer some advice on how to evaluate the sources you find and use.
Tertiary sources are the most common and the most easily accessible.
A tertiary source is any that is not written in the period in question. Tertiary sources discuss current research and current attitudes about that particular topic or time period. Tertiary sources include text books, book reviews, timelines, and encyclopedias. They are very useful places to start research. Secondary sources are still written out of period, but refer to period sources.