Primary resources --peer reviewed articles written by authors who actually performed an original experiment or are reporting their field observations, i.e., of organisms or medical patients; comprises main body of scientific information and knowledge; found by searching journal article databases for references
Secondary resources --peer reviewed articles written by authors who summarize or discuss trends in the primary literature; found by searching journal article databases for references
Tertiary resources --non-peer reviewed articles, books, newspaper articles, encyclopedia entries, etc.; found by searching the Internet, the library catalog, and some databases
NOTE: The resource CQ Researcher is a tertiary resource. CQ Researcher is equivalent to an encyclopedia--you can find reliable background information in the entries, which are written by experienced journalists. However, the articles are not peer-reviewed and they do not report on research, so they are tertiary resources.
Peer review --process by which articles are submitted to experts in the scientific discipline for comments and criticism before publication in a scholarly journal; peer reviewed journals are also called "refereed." Search Ulrichsweb for the journal title and look for the referee shirt icon to see if a journal is peer reviewed.
Scholarly journal --journal that publishes mostly scientific, primary articles; exists to disseminate knowledge (examples: Science, Nature, Cell, Ecology)
Trade journal --journal or magazine that publishes mostly non-peer reviewed articles and frequently contains advertisements; exists to make money (examples: Science News, National Geographic, Time)
Library catalog --a searchable database that includes records representing every item in the library, including books, journals, CDs, DVDs, maps, manuscripts, and microforms
Journal article databases (also called periodical indexes) --electronically searchable sources that provide reference information to articles published in hundreds and thousands of mostly scholarly journals; most databases include an abstract (summary of the article) and some provide links to the full text of the articles; science databases index mostly primary and secondary resources
Periodicals Room --area on the north side of the second floor of the Harold B. Lee Library in which the print copies of most journals and other serial publications are shelved
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Primary Literature |
Secondary Literature |
Tertiary Literature |
|---|---|---|
|
Title states results or conclusions; often uses technical terminology |
Title often includes words like "trends," "history," and "insights"; often easier to understand |
Titles vary widely; often use non-technical language |
|
Abstract includes experimental or observational conditions and a summary of the results |
Often in review publications, like the Annual Review of Cell Biology |
In a variety of publications and formats including: newspapers, magazines, websites, and most books |
|
Often has the following sections: Introduction, Literature Review, Methods, Results, Discussion, and a substantial bibliography or reference list |
Extensive reference lists |
No bibliography or only a few references |
|
Peer reviewed |
Peer reviewed |
NOT peer reviewed |
Science/Maps Reference Desk--HBLL Level 2; science_reference@byu.edu; 422-2987. Come get help from librarians and student assistants (Hours: Mon-Thurs 8 am-9 pm; Fri 8 am-6 pm; Sat 10 am-6 pm)
