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BIOL 111: Unity of Life

Primary and Secondary Scholarly Sources

In the sciences, a primary scholarly source

  • is peer-reviewed;
  • is published in a scientific journal;
  • and contains first-hand reports of research presented by the person or team that did the research.

Primary scholarly references are the gold standard for your background research as a scientist.

Scientific primary literature is peer reviewed, or refereed, before being published. This enhances the quality and validity of the work. In the peer-review process, 2-3 specialists in the field read and critically evaluate the work before it can be published. Peer review is a quality-control measure to ensure that the primary literature includes only high quality, valid scientific information. Primary authors may revise and resubmit articles to improve them.

To learn more about peer-review, check out this short video: "Peer Review in 5 Minutes".
 

  Scholarly Sources Popular Sources
Primary Sources
  • Peer Reviewed
  • Published in a scholarly journal
  • 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  • Not peer-reviewed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
  • A guy doing their own experiment and posting it on their blog
  • 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  • (In the social sciences and humanities, these can be historical documents, art, speeches, etc.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
  • "Systematic Review"
  • "Meta-Analysis"
  • Draw on other scholarly publications to come up with their own conclusions
  • We cite these for their results and discussion.
  • 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 gathered from primary and secondary sources
  • Does not provide original interpretations or analysis
  • You likely won't cite these, but you'll use them in the beginning of your research process to learn about your topic.
  • 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.

 

 

Fun concept mapping exercise!

Too many results? Too few?

So you've started your search. What do you do if....

...you're getting too many results?

Try these tips to narrow down your search:

  • Use more specific terms and concepts, like "bacterial growth" instead of "microbes" or "Psuedomonas putida" instead of "bacterium."

  • Use AND (in caps) to narrow a search. A search for (biofilms AND amylase)  will bring back only those records that contain both terms. 
  • Try a subject search instead of a keyword search. Find one relevant article with your initial search, then look for the the subject headings (also called descriptors) in the article's record to find ideas for other search terms to try...usually those subject headings are clickable links. 
  • Perform a keyword search, but limit your searching to only the title or abstract fields. This will bring you back only the most relevant results.  

...you're not getting enough results? 

If your searches come up with no results, or only one or two articles, try these strategies before assuming there isn't any information out there!

  • Check your spelling. It may sound obvious, but look for typos! Databases are programmed to identify some misspellings, but not all of them.

  • Try broader search words. For example, instead of searching for "amylase", try searching for "enzyme." You can always narrow it down again!

  • Use OR (in caps) to broaden a search, retrieving records that contain any of the words you search for.  You can use parentheses to group together search terms with OR. A search for biofilms AND (growth OR formation OR development) will return records using either term for your variable:
  • Try a different database. Each database has different strengths in coverage!

...STILL not finding anything? Ask a librarian for help! Send an email or try our 24/7 Chat with a Librarian service.