Political Science (UNH Durham)

President Trump's new administration commenced on January 20, 2025. If you find new material you would like added to this guide, please send it to kathrine.aydelott@unh.edu for inclusion.

In general, there are three types of resources or sources of information: primary, secondary, and tertiary.  It is important to understand these types and to know what type is appropriate for your coursework prior to searching for information.

It's sometimes difficult to distinguish among these three types and they do vary by discipline and subject.

1. Primary sources are original materials on which other research is based; for example,
   • original works (written, spoken, recorded, visual) – poems, diaries, court records, interviews, surveys, polls, newsreel footage, newspaper articles about events, art works, statistical information, and original research/fieldwork
   • original research published in scholarly/academic journals
2. Secondary sources are those that describe, critique, or analyze primary sources; for example:
   • books and articles that interpret, review, or synthesize original research/fieldwork
   • sometimes reference materials – dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks
   • review articles in the sciences and social sciences
3. Tertiary sources are those used to organize and locate secondary and primary sources. Can also be compilations or highly distilled summaries that offer factual representation rather than viewpoints or critiques. Examples include indexes, abstracts, databases, and some reference materials.

Representatives of the Trump administration and the executive branch may appear before Congressional committees to provide information on administration policies, initiatives, etc. or to respond to oversight requests. Search by day/year. For example, the House Ways and Means Committee meeting to discuss the Need to Make Permanent the Trump Tax Cuts for Working Families.

Sources that can be used to search for hearings, witnesses, and testimony include: