Primary & Secondary Sources

Scholarly journals are also called peer-reviewed journals.  Peer review is a process by which editors have experts in a field review books or articles submitted for publication by the experts’ peers. Peer review helps to ensure the quality of an information source.

Elements of Scholarly Journals:

Articles are lengthy, in-depth and written in the jargon of the field for others with similar backgrounds

• Authors are experts in the field
• Audience is the scholarly reader [professors, students, researchers]
• Illustrations support the text
• Bibliographies or references are always included
• Examples: American Sociological Review, Journal of Abnormal Psychology; Journal of Applied Science & Engineering Technology

Primary sources are original, uninterpreted information.  Scholars analyze primary sources in order to answer research questions. Examples of primary sources vary by discipline.

Examples in the humanities:

• a novel
• a painting
• a theatre performance

Examples in the social sciences:

• a political, social, or economic theory
• a dataset
• the results of an experiment published in a peer-reviewed journal

Example in the sciences:

• the results of an experiment published in a peer-reviewed journal

• In secondary sources, authors analyze and interpret primary source materials.
• Secondary sources can be scholarly or popular. 
• Scholarly sources (sometimes called "academic" or "peer-reviewed" sources) are written by and for experts and typically include bibliographies and citations.
• Popular sources are written for a general, non-expert audience and can be authored by anyone.

Magazines are publication issued on a regular basis containing popular articles, written and illustrated in a less technical manner than the articles found in a journal.

Elements of the popular magazine:

• Feature writers; columns; occasional “guest” writers
• Usually do not include any bibliographies or references
• Articles are short [between 1 and 5 pages]
• Audience is the general public
• Popular topics written for anyone to understand
• Often include flashy photography or graphic elements for marketing appeal
• Examples:  Rolling Stone, Time, Popular Science, National Geographic