BIO 427: Monuments & Microbes

Different source types have different roles to play in the research process. The first step in selecting and using resources well is to correctly identify a resource's literature type. Common literature types include books, journal articles, trade publications, magazines, newspapers, blogs, pamphlets, dairies, and many more. After identifying the literature type, resources can be better utilized during the research and writing process. 

There are slight differences in hot biologists and historians qualify document types. Read on to learn how to correctly identify and use different literature types. 

Primary Sources: Primary sources report events as they originally occurred and convey original thinking, report new discoveries, or share new information. 

• Direct observation 
• Author is the researcher who conducted the experiment 
• Findings are usually presented in scholarly, original research papers, research study report, or in technical reports, as a few examples. Some research findings are also provided in books. 

Secondary Sources: Sources that offer an analysis, evaluation, or restatement of primary sources. 

• Does not provide primary observation; relies of second-hand reviews or remarks 
• Author did not conduct the research; rather, the author provides a summary of findings from other researchers. 
• Secondary sources include review articles, literature reviews, systematic reviews and meta analysis, some books, and science magazines, among others. 

Tertiary Sources: Sources that index, compile, abstract, or outline other materials.  

• Usually no author is credited 
• Examples include dictionaries or encyclopedias, Wikipedia, guidebooks, manuals, and handbooks

Primary Sources: Primary sources are original documents and materials form the time period being studied. The offer firsthand accounts or direct evidence of historical events, created by witnesses or participants. 

• Examples include: dairies and journals, letters or other correspondence, newspaper articles, and other official documents. 

Secondary Sources: Secondary sources analyze, interpret, or critique primary sources. These materials are written after the historical event occurred. 

• Examples include: scholarly, peer reviewed journal articles, history books and monographs, biographies, and more. 

Tertiary Sources: Tertiary sources compile and summarize information from primary and secondary sources. 

• Examples include: Wikipedia, encyclopedias, bibliographies, and textbooks.