Types of Sources Used in Research Nancy McEnery, MLIS

Periodicals: Popular versus Scholarly Scholarly Journals Popular Magazines, Trade Journals, Tabloids

Think of your Doctor’s Office… Journal of the American Medical Association House and Garden, Sunset People Magazine

Popular Magazines Are written for a general broad audience. The information may or may not be written by an expert in the field. Articles are often by a staff writer and contain quotes & opinions of experts. Often contain well-considered writing.

Is this a good source for a research paper? When evaluating a source to use in a research paper, the degree of authority and the depth of research on a given topic determine if the source has academic value

Academic Journals… A better Choice? Scholarly sources contain articles written by experts in particular fields. Experts are recognized by their degrees, work affiliation, and research publications. Subject-specific. Critically evaluated by peers (fellow scholars) for content, scholarly soundness & academic value.

Examples JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association School Library Journal Modern Fiction Studies American Anthropologist

Chart Use this handout to help you to identify additional features to distinguish between popular and scholarly sources. PurposePublication Topics Appearance Author Language Audience Format

Research Using Primary & Secondary Sources in the Humanities and the Sciences Lewis & Clark Journals, American Journal of Nursing

What is a Primary Source? An original record created during it’s time period that does not contain any outside interpretation.

Example: Research for History Papers Using Primary and Secondary Sources to Study World War I

Primary Sources Documents that give a rich sense of life in the time period, as told by it’s participants Diaries Letters Photographs First-hand accounts Sound recordings

Primary Sources: Photos

Primary sources: Photos Convalescent Hospital #2 at Agay, France, 1918.

Primary Sources: Diaries The Personal Diary of Bill Schira March 4, 1918 to July 6, 1919

Primary Sources: Letters.

Primary Sources: Maps

What are Secondary Sources? An analysis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary source information, usually written after the event.

Bibliographic or Secondary Sources What other’s have written about a topic books articles from magazines & scholarly journals.

More Secondary Sources

How do historians research? They tend to do more solitary research. They read books. They get direction from citations in their reading. They use primary sources and back them up with secondary sources.

Consider as you do history research Use both primary and secondary sources

How do Scientists Research? Go to seminars & professional meetings and talk with other scientists. Do their own experiments. They subscribe to journals in their field of study.

How do Scientists Research? Scientists are concerned with the results of other’s research. They go to peer- reviewed journals like Nature to read original research results. “But not every article in Nature or Science Journal will be original research!

A Word of Caution: Not every article in the journals will be research articles. Some will include book reviews and other materials that are more obviously secondary sources. (Remember: a secondary source is something written about a primary source. Secondary sources include comments on, interpretations of, or discussions about the original material). Review articles are more difficult to differentiate from original articles. They are not primary sources because they “review” previously published materials.

In the Sciences, Primary literature refers to the first place a scientist publishes the results of scientific investigations.

This Week in JAMA JAMA. 2009;301(12):1201. FULL TEXT | PDF Original Contributions Collaborative Care for Chronic Pain in Primary Care: A Cluster Randomized Trial Steven K. Dobscha; Kathryn Corson; Nancy A. Perrin; Ginger C. Hanson; Ruth Q. Leibowitz; Melanie N. Doak; Kathryn C. Dickinson; Mark D. Sullivan; Martha S. Gerrity JAMA. 2009;301(12): FULL TEXTPDF ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT | PDF | JAMA REPORT VIDEO Clinical Outcome and Phenotypic Expression in LAMP2 Cardiomyopathy Barry J. Maron; William C. Roberts; Michael Arad; Tammy S. Haas; Paolo Spirito; Gregory B. Wright; Adrian K. Almquist; Jeanne M. Baffa; J. Philip Saul; Carolyn Y. Ho; Jonathan Seidman; Christine E. Seidman JAMA. 2009;301(12): ABSTRACTFULL TEXTPDFJAMA REPORT VIDEO ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT | PDF Caring for the Critically Ill Patient Chlorhexidine-Impregnated Sponges and Less Frequent Dressing Changes for Prevention of Catheter-Related Infections in Critically Ill Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial Jean-François Timsit; Carole Schwebel; Lila Bouadma; Arnaud Geffroy; Maïté Garrouste-Orgeas; Sebastian Pease; Marie-Christine Herault; Hakim Haouache; Silvia Calvino-Gunther; Brieuc Gestin; Laurence Armand- Lefevre; Véronique Leflon; Chantal Chaplain; Adel Benali; Adrien Francais; Christophe Adrie; Jean-Ralph Zahar; Marie Thuong; Xavier Arrault; Jacques Croize; Jean-Christophe Lucet; for the Dressing Study Group JAMA. 2009;301(12): ABSTRACTFULL TEXTPDF

How can you tell if it’s original research (or a primary source?) Primary research articles use a common format: Look for a methods section (sometimes called materials & methods). Look for results (usually followed with charts & statistical tables). Look for a discussion section. Look for language like “we tested”, “in our study” or “we measured.” This tells you the article is reporting original research.

Where the Confusion Begins… The distinction between types of sources can get tricky because a secondary source may also be a primary source. Gary Wills’ book about Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address can be looked at as both a secondary and a primary source. The distinction may depend upon how you are using the source and the nature of your research.

Primary or Secondary? If you are researching about Abraham Lincoln, the book would be a secondary source because Wills’ is offering his opinions about Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address. If you are researching the Gettysburg Address, this original primary source document is contained in Wills’ book.

Primary or Secondary? Primary literature refers to the first place a scientist publishes the results of scientific investigations. In the case of a scientific journal, the author may have first published their original research In the Journal of Zoology If the article is republished in Nature, it is no longer a primary source.

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