Primary sources convey first-hand experience of the event or time period you’re studying.
Secondary sources convey the experiences of others, or “second-hand” information; they often synthesize a collection of primary sources.
In the Sciences:
Primary (Research articles) =
Original scientific research; experiment or study conducted by author; actual rather than interpretive.
- Clues within the article:
- Read the abstract. Look for phrases such as "we tested" or "we measured"
- Methods section
- Results section
- Discussion section
- Charts, statistical tables, etc.
Secondary (Review articles) =
Compilation, discussion, analysis, or criticism of scientific research by others;analyzes and interprets.
