What is a primary source? What is a secondary source?
The first step is to determine if the article is scholarly.
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When searching for scholarly articles in EDS be sure to have the Full Text, and Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journal limiters on.
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The Scholarly Journal limiter will filter out eBooks, magazines, skills sheets, etc.
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Keep in mind that scholarly journals contain expert pieces, opinion pieces, sidebars, and more, alongside scholarly articles
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It is essential to check that each article is scholarly if you need scholarly articles for your assignment.
For additional information please view the FAQ How do I know if an article is scholarly?
Answer
Primary and secondary sources are based on Levels of Information/Originality. This is different from Levels of Evidence/Bias.
When searching for primary and secondary sources, refer to the pyramid on the left.
Primary sources are original research studies or experiments. The author(s) performed the research themselves.
Secondary sources are where the author(s) are not the original creators of the research. The author(s) will review, compare, and write about the works of others.
To determine if the article you are viewing in the databases is primary or secondary please view the Resources for Research guide and view the Primary and Secondary Article Identification video, and the Types of Sources: Levels of Information & Levels of Evidence Workshop video.
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