In the sciences, primary sources are often journal articles that describe a research study and its results.
Journal Article Characteristics:
| Audience | Scholars, researchers, professors, students. |
| Author | Professionals, experts in the field. Credentials are listed in the article. |
| Content | Original research. |
| Length | Usually lengthy, often 10-25 pages long. |
| Citations | Cited sources are typically scholarly ones. |
| Refereed | Yes; Articles go through a peer-review process where they are critiqued by other experts in the field before they are published. |
| Example | This is an example of a primary article. |
Secondary sources describe or review research conducted by someone else. These include a type of journal article called a review article.
Review Article Characteristics:
| Audience | Scholars, researchers, professors, students. |
| Author | Professionals, experts in the field. Credentials or affiliations are listed. |
| Content | Discusses a range of studies and puts them in context. |
| Length | Usually lengthy, 20 - 40 pages long. |
| Citations | An extensive list of sources are cited. |
| Refereed | No. Will be reviewed by journal editors, but not peer reviewed. |
| Example: | This is an example of a secondary journal article. |
The popular press is another example of a type of secondary source that most of us encounter on a daily basis.
Newspaper / Magazine Article Characteristics:
| Audience | General readers. |
| Author | Varies, but typically journalists, staff writers, 'guest' experts. May not be signed. |
| Content | Non-technical, entertainment, news. May report on original research (such as breaking medical research). |
| Length | Usually short, 1-5 pages. |
| Citations | No, incomplete, or very few citations. |
| Refereed | No |
| Example: | This is an example of a secondary article. |
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