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Chemistry & Biochemistry

Your guide to finding chemistry and biochemistry resources in the libraries.

Primary Sources in the Sciences


Primary sources in the sciences are publications which provide a full description of original research and present the results of that research. The most common example of a primary source in the sciences is a scholarly article containing original or new research published in a peer-reviewed journal. Primary sources in the sciences include a description of the research and the results and references to other research in the field, and are factual, not interpretive. They can also take the form of more personal records and correspondence, including lab notebooks, diaries, and letters.

 

 Primary Source

 Secondary Source

 Definition

 Original materials that have not been   filtered through interpretation or   evaluation by a second party.

  Sources that contain commentary on    or a discussion about a primary       source.

 Formats (depending on the   research being conducted)

 See below for thorough list, but   anything which presents the findings   and presents full descriptions of   original research.

 See below, but anything which does   NOT present original results, but   instead discusses, critiques or   comments on original research.   Necessarily comes later in the   publication cycle.

 Example: Scientists Studying   Industrial Fertilizer

 Article in scholarly journal publishing   results of testing for fertilizer levels.

 Newspaper editorial calling for   regulations on use of industrial   fertilizer.

 Example of Types of Sources

  • Conference Papers
  • Correspondence
  • Dissertations
  • Diaries
  • Interviews
  • Lab Notebooks
  • Notes
  • Patents
  • Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Article
  • Conference or Society Proceedings
  • Studies or Surveys
  • Technical Reports
  • Theses

 

  • Criticism and Interpretation
  • Dictionaries
  • Encyclopedias
  • Government Policy
  • Guide to Literature
  • Handbooks
  • Law and Legislation
  • Publications discussing Moral, Ethical or Political Aspects
  • Publications Analysizing Public Response or Opinion
  • Review Articles

 

 

(Source: http://research.pugetsound.edu/c.php?g=304191&p=2030252 and http://library.albany.edu/usered/dr/prisci.html)

Source Types


What are the differences between Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources?

Types of Sources Definition Characteristics Examples
Primary Original documents created or experienced concurrently with the event being researched. First-hand observations, contemporary accounts of the event. Viewpoint of the time. Interviews, news footage, data sets, original research, speeches, diaries, letters, creative works, photographs
Secondary Works that analyze, assess, or interpret a historical event, an era, or a phenomenon. Generally uses primary sources. Interpretation of information, usually written well after an event. Offers reviews or critiques. Research studies, literary criticism, book reviews, biographies, textbooks
Tertiary Sources that identify, locate, and synthesize primary AND secondary sources. Reference works, collections of lists of primary and secondary sources, finding tools for sources. Encyclopedias, bibliographies, dictionaries, manuals, textbooks, fact books

Chart created by Loyola Marymount University Library

Primary vs. Secondary


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Websites for Primary Sources

Databases for Historical Primary Sources

Primary Sources at MSMU