CHEM 311: Chemistry Across the Periodic Table (Fall 2022) : Evaluating and Using Articles

A primary source in the sciences is a report of research results written by the scientist(s) who conducted the research.

• Contains original research results or “raw data”
• Written by the scientist(s) who conducted the research
• Includes enough detail for other scientists to evaluate and reproduce results

Examples: Research articles, Conference papers, Theses, Technical reports, Patents, Data sets, Lab notebooks

A secondary source in the sciences synthesizes, summarizes, interprets or analyzes one or more primary sources often in an attempt to summarize the current state of knowledge on a topic.

• Contains no original data found or produced by the author
• Written by a scientist or journalist who read research reports
• Draw conclusions based on research done by others

Examples: Analyses, Meta-analyses, Commentaries, Reviews, Summaries, News Reports

A tertiary source in the sciences collects and condenses information from primary and secondary sources.

• Introduce general readers to what is currently known about a topic
• Distill information from experiments or research (e.g. chemical properties)
• Collect or list primary and secondary sources from more information

Examples: Textbooks, Encyclopedias, Bibliographies, Almanacs, Chronologies, Dictionaries, Manuals