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ENV 150 - Intro to Environmental Science: Source Evaluation

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

  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.
Example Article in scholarly journal reporting research and methodology. Articles or books analyzing and commenting on the results of original research.
Timeline Published first Published second
Format Peer-reviewed (scholarly) journals Newspapers, magazines, books

Example of Primary Source

Example of Secondary Source

Scholarly vs. Popular Sources

  Peer-Reviewed (Scholarly) Source Popular Source
Author Experts/Scholars/Affiliated Researchers

Journalist/Reporter/Writer

Audience Experts/Scholars/Affiliated Researchers

General Public

Pictures Graphs, Charts Colorful, Photographs, Decorative
Language Complex, Advanced Terms Easy to Follow
Article Length 10+ Pages 1-5 Pages
Article Titles Long & Descriptive Short & Catchy
Citations Many None
Abstract Yes No

Test Yourself: What type of source is this?

Source A

Source B

Source Evaluation

Follow the Money!

Authors in science generally have to disclose potential conflicts of interests that may influence their ability to interpret or analyze results. Conflicts of interests can take many forms from financial to personal relationships. Check for the following sections in a scientific paper:

  • Acknowledgements 
  • Conflict of Interest 
  • Funding 

If these sections aren't present, see if you can locate more information about the authors or the experiment from an outside source like Google. 

Levels of Scientific Evidence

Though this graphic focuses on different types of scientific evidence largely in the biomedical field, it gives you a broad sense of how information quality is accessed in the scientific community.  Note that studies with animal and cellular test subjects are above 'Expert Opinion" and below "Case Report / Case Series." 

Awareness of Media Bias

AllSides Media Bias Chart