| Table of Contents |
|---|
This handout specifically addresses Primary Sources in Science. For information about locating Scholarly and Peer-Reviewed journals in general, see Identifying Scholarly Journals.
Primary Research Literature
...
- Sometimes the indication appears just below the authors and affiliations.
- Here's another possibility for indication of peer review near the start of an article:
- Sometimes the peer review information is at the bottom of the first page of the article:
- Sometimes it is at the end of the article after the references:
...
- News reports about research--though the report may have information you can use to find the primary research article.
- Encyclopedia articles --never report original research.
- Review articles. These are surveys of the literature on specific topics that summarize and explain the research of others and/or the previously published work of the authors, and are considered secondary sources. They often look very similar to primary research articles, but they are not. Here's how to tell:
- No "Methods," "Materials and Methods," or "Experimental" section or details. (Compare to #4 in the section on primary research articles above.)
- No "Results" section or details. (Compare to #5 in the section on primary research articles above.)
- The authors reference other sources throughout the paper. (In primary research articles, most references to others' work are generally confined to the introduction and discussion sections.)
- Databases like Science Direct may indicate review articles.
- Journals may highlight review articles. Look for a header on the first page of the article.
- Sometimes the article title contains the word review:
- Sometimes the abstract or summary mentions that the article is a review:
- Sometimes the information is found in the introductory section
Identifying primary research and peer review articles gets easier with practice. If you have questions about an article, just ask.
...