Contains first-hand reports of research presented by the person or team that did the research.
We cite these to reference the results and discussion of their research.
Not peer-reviewed
Published anywhere
E.g. Someone doing their own experiment and posting it on their blog
E.g. A news organization conducting their own research and releasing their own data visualizer
(In the social sciences and humanities, these can be historical documents, art, speeches, etc. But we don't use these in the sciences)
We don't cite these because they haven't been peer reviewed.
Secondary Sources
Peer reviewed
Published in a scholarly journal
Draw on other scholarly publications to come up with their own conclusions
There are two main types: "Narrative Reviews" and "Systematic Reviews/Meta Analyses"
We cite systematic reviews because they mathematically compare studies on the same topic to determine an overall trend
Narrative reviews do not systematically compare studies, only mention them, so we generally cite primary-source studies instead of these.
Narrative reviews are generally considered "expert opinion", which is weaker evidence than the results of a study.
Reports on and draws conclusions from primary scholarly sources.
Published anywhere
News article, press release, trade publication, blog post, etc.
We don't cite these because if they just report on a primary source, we should go to the primary source itself, and if they provide analysis, that analysis hasn't been peer reviewed.
Tertiary Sources
Gives an overview of information accumulated from primary and secondary sources
Does not provide original interpretations or analyses
You use these in the beginning of your research process to learn about your topic.
You may or may not cite these depending on your audience:
Facts that would be common knowledge to your audience don't need to be cited.
Gives an overview of information gathered from primary and secondary sources
Does not provide original interpretations or analysis
Not operated by a scholarly institution or organization.
Wikipedia.
You won't cite these, but you'll use them in the beginning of your research process to learn about your topic.
Now try it yourself!
Are the following primary or secondary, scholarly or popular?
