Writing and Citing: Scholarly or Peer Reviewed Sources

Source: McMaster Libraries. (2016, February 24). Scholarly vs. popular sources. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Yv-e9ZvsbOA

Source: Lockman, T. (2012, August 21). How to read a scholarly journal article. [Video]. YouTube. Kishwaukee College Library. https://youtu.be/EEVftUdfKtQ

There are two types of resources used for research - primary sources and secondary sources. Both are important research tools, but they contain different types of information.

What are primary sources?
Primary sources provide raw information, or first-hand evidence gathered by performing original research, such as an experiment. They make an original contribution to the knowledge about a topic. Primary sources can include:

• Original scholarly research articles
• Datasets or survey data, such as census or economic statistics
• Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event
• Texts of laws and other original documents
• Speeches, diaries, letters and interviews

What are secondary sources?
Secondary sources are one step removed from primary sources. Secondary sources interpret or analyze the information from primary sources, and they quote or use primary sources to gather information, but they don’t make their own original contribution to the knowledge about a topic. Secondary sources can include:

• Most books about a topic
• Analysis or interpretation of data, including journal articles that interpret existing information and research
• Some scholarly articles about a topic, especially those written by people not directly involved in the research
• Documentaries, although they can include photos or video portions that can be considered primary sources
   

How do I know if a source is primary or secondary?
Figuring out if a source is primary or secondary can be challenging! It can be difficult to find the clues we need to decide if a source is primary or secondary, and sometimes, these clues point us in a direction we didn’t expect. For example, newspaper articles are usually considered secondary sources. But if a story in a newspaper describes an event through an eyewitness account, then it’s a primary source. The following questions can guide you in deciding if a source is primary or secondary:

• Was the source created by someone directly involved in the research being studied (primary), or was it created by someone else using that research (secondary)?
• Does the source provide original information (primary), or does it summarize information from other sources (secondary)?
• Are the author's conclusions based on a single piece of evidence (primary), or have many sources been taken into account (secondary)?

If you aren’t sure about a resource, that’s okay! Ask your instructor or classmates for help, or contact the Library at library@loyalistcollege.com for help.

How do we search for primary and secondary sources?
The Library’s search, Catalyst, doesn’t have a way to filter search results by primary or secondary sources. But there are other techniques you can use to increase your chances of finding them:

• To find primary sources, include words like, “quantitative”, “qualitative”, or “study” with your other search words.
• Be aware of the format or type of resource that you’re looking at. Remember that scholarly articles are more likely to be primary sources, and books are more likely to be secondary sources, for example. The image to the right shows how you can use the filters on the results screen to limit a search to peer-reviewed articles:
• Open articles and look at the different sections; original research articles typically include a research question or a hypothesis, and sections like methods, results, discussion, and a conclusion, in addition to references.
• If you’re still unsure, contact the Library for help!

Sources

• Primary sources: A research guide. (2023). Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. https://umb.libguides.com/PrimarySources/secondary
• Primary or secondary sources. (2024). University of Victoria Library. https://www.uvic.ca/library/help/tips/primvsec/index.php
• What is the difference between a primary and secondary source? (2023, April 5). Western Governors University Blog. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-difference-between-primary-secondary-source2304.html