| 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 |
| 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?
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:
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.
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."
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