Primary sources (the primary literature) are reports of original findings and ideas. They may be print or digital and include:
- Peer-reviewed research papers published in scholarly journals/periodicals and directed toward a scientific audience. These articles usually have the following sections: Abstract - Introduction - Materials/Methods - Results - Discussion - References. Do not confuse primary articles with review articles. Review articles do not report original research (e.g. do not have Methods or Results sections).
For example:
- Conference presentations
- Dissertations (e.g. Queen's Biology graduate and undergraduate theses)
- Technical reports
Secondary Sources are more general works that are based on primary sources. They may be print or digital and include:
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- Scholarly books (monographs).
For example, see the More Background Reading titles
- Review papers that summarize and interpret the primary literature in a particular subject area. For example, Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics is a journal that publishes mainly review articles
- Scientific dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference works.
- Science magazines. (e.g. New Scientist)
