V. Classifying Sources

A. Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary

B. Examples of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

C. Primary Source vs. Primary Research

D. Scholarly vs. Popular

How to Read a Scholarly Article

Determining a Reliable Journal

E. Peer Review

F. Contents of a Journal

A. Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary

As you are probably aware, sources can be classified into the three following types, each is used in research in a particular way:

Primary source*: a source that provides first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic or question under investigation.

Secondary source: a source that describes, summarizes, analyzes, evaluates, derives from, or is based on primary and other secondary source materials.

Tertiary source: a source based entirely on secondary sources and offers no additional analysis.

*See the Primary Sources at Yale website for more information about primary sources.

Primary Sources

First-hand accounts

Created at or near the time of an event

Evidence in its original form

Requires analysis and context

Unarranged information

Secondary Sources

Contains an analysis

Has an argument or thesis to demonstrate

Summarizes and interprets a collection of material

Created by a researcher who specializes in a particular field

Tertiary Sources

Lists a set of primary or secondary sources

Summarizes or organizes a selection of sources

Restates facts, theories, and controversies about a topic

Has no analysis or argument

B. Examples of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

Examples of Primary Sources

Archives and manuscripts

Data

Ephemera

Images

Government documents

Maps

Newspapers and magazines

Objects and artifacts

Sound recordings

Videos

Examples of Secondary Sources

Books

Journal articles

Theses/Dissertations

Conference proceedings

Examples of Tertiary Sources

Encyclopedias

Almanacs

Directories

Bibliographies

Maps

Indexes

C. Primary Source vs. Primary Research

Are primary sources scholarly?

No, they are usually not because they are the things that are being examined and analyzed. We are not considering their conclusions to be expert opinions. They must be examined externally and internally.

External evaluation: Is it authentic? biased? complete?

Internal evaluation: What does it contain? What is its research value? What does it mean?

Primary sources, if authenticated, can be provide important glimpses into an event or phenomenon. When we analyze primary sources we look for bias and incompleteness and take these into account in our analysis.

Primary Sources are NOT the same as Primary Research

Primary or Original Research is that in which the researcher produces his/her own data. It gives an explanation of methods, results, and conclusions in an article and is therefore a secondary source.

Primary Research = Secondary Source

D. Scholarly vs. Popular

Another way to classify sources is into popular and scholarly sources. As we can see from the chart, scholarly sources are entirely for academic purposes, meaning they are designed to be studied and engaged intellectually. Popular sources can be used for general information, entertainment, and other purposes.

*Note that neither one is better than other. They are simply used for different purposes.

What is a Scholarly Source?

There are two main characteristics that determine whether or not a source of information is scholarly or academic. These characteristics entail: 1) the authority of the author to speak on the topic and 2) the process by which the information has been vetted or verified for accuracy.

Author

institutional affiliation: which institution does the author belong to (university, professional organization, government agency, non-governmental organization, etc.)?
credentials: which educational degrees does the author hold (MD, PhD, Med, MFA, etc.)? Is the author endorsed by major organizations or influential people? What rewards and honors has the author earned?

Process

publication format: how much review occurs before a work is published (social media post, blog post, news article, book, reference work, thesis or dissertation, journal article)?
peer review: the process of reviewing research methods, accuracy, and importance of a scholarly work before publication

Indications of a Scholarly Article

In a digital environment, before you know for sure a source is a scholarly work, there are usually some indicators. Some of those indicators are given below.

Signs of scholarly works

Scholarly Structure
Charts / Graphs / Figures
Black & White (pdf)
Lots of text
Extensive bibliography

Signs of popular works

Brief in word count
Color pictures
Videos
Advertisements
Citations are brief, mostly popular sources, hyperlinks, or non-existent

Scholarly Article Structure

Generally, scholarly sources follow a standard structure. The subheadings will differ between scientific disciplines and those in the humanities.

Scientific Article Structure

Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review/Background
Methodology
Results
Discussion
Future Research
References/Bibliography/Works Cited

Humanities Article Structure

Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review/Background
Theory
Findings
Conclusion
Further Study/Suggestions
References/Bibliography/Works Cited

How to Read a Scholarly Article

Determining a Reliable Journal

Use the Journal Citation Reports software to measure the quality of the journal you are reading.

Click Here to Search

E. Peer Review

You have probably noticed that scholarly journal articles do not always state that they are peer reviewed. To determine if they are peer reviewed you need to know something about the journal in which the article is published.

Determining Peer Review

Determining peer review is easy if you are using one of the EBSCOhost databases. Simply select the hyperlink for the article record, locate the hyperlink for the "Source," the next screen should reveal its peer review status.

Other databases do not necessarily have this function. However, it is still possible to determine if the journal is peer reviewed. You will simply need to determine the journal title and do an internet search for it. Usually journals have official websites or links from the database that contain information about its editorial board and peer review process.

F. Contents of a Journal

One important fact to remember is that not everything in a peer reviewed journal is peer reviewed.

Because peer review is a long and rigorous process, it is usually only reserved for articles considered Original Research or Review articles (those that attempt to summarize the current understanding of a topic). Other types of works that might appear in a peer review journal, but are not peer reviewed are:

Book reviews
News items
Opinion articles
Corrections
Comments

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