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MCOM 320: Publication Types

This guide was created to support MCOM 320 a required business writing course. Questions? Contact Leticia Camacho, Business Librarian

Publication Types

There are different types of periodicals, including journals, magazines and trade publications. For many assignments your instructor will specify the types of sources you should consult in your research. Use the definitions and descriptions listed below to identify the proper sources. Watch a video about publication types.

  • Primary Sources Contains raw, original, uninterpreted, and unevaluated information. Examples: diaries, interviews, letters, original documents, patents, photographs, proceeding of meetings or conferences, market surveys, opinion polls, and works of literature.
  • Secondary Sources Digest, analyze, evaluate, and interpret the information contained within primary sources. They tend to be argumentative. Examples: biographies, commentaries, dissertations, indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, journal articles, and monographs. This is the type of information that you find in library databases
  • Tertiary Sources Compile, analyze, and digest secondary sources. They tend to be factual. Examples: almanacs, encyclopedias, and fact books.

Secondary Sources in Business Research

A secondary source uses primary sources as a way to interpret and evaluate past events. In business research, this could be a news round-up in a trade journal, a market research report, an industry profile, an annotated bibliography, a peer-reviewed article that critiques existing research, and books

Below are some examples of secondary sources available at the Library:

Business Source Ultimate (EBSCO) - Business news and analysis. Peer-reviewed research. Case studies and SWOT analyses. Country reports. Includes Harvard Business Review.\

ProQuest Business Collection - Contains all content from ABI/INFORM Complete, Accounting and Tax, Asian Business and Reference, Banking Information Source, Entrepreneurship, and J.P. Morgan Research. Featuring thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, conference proceedings, and working papers, as well as trade publications, analyst reports, industry reports, and key periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Economist. 

Examples of Secondary Sources

Peer-Reviewed Sources

Peer-reviewed sources are sometimes referred to as scholarly or academic in library databases. Researchers or experts write these sources in a particular field and are often grounded in research; these sources have been analyzed and substantiated by experts in the field. This makes this type of secondary source the most credible. Scholarly articles use specialized vocabulary, have extensive citations, and are often peer-reviewed. Most articles found through library databases have been peer-reviewed, but to filter out non-reviewed sources, you can check the “peer-reviewed” box during your search.

How to Read a Peer-Reviewed Article

  1. Read the Abstract.
  2. Read the Introduction.
  3. Skim the body of the paper, including the research methodology, sample sizes, statistical methods, etc.
  4. Skim the Discussion.
  5. Read the Conclusion.

Non-Peer-Reviewed Sources

These sources can help you get practical information on your topic. 

To understand your topic before starting your research

  • Background Sources -  Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

To be aware of recent developments related to your topic 

  • Newspapers - Their main goal is to keep you informed. Delivers news and other content on a daily or weekly basis. 
  • Wire Feeds - Wire feeds are also known as news releases, newswires, and press releases and can be created and distributed by companies like Reuters and Bloomberg, which also carry original content created by journalists, or by companies that only specialize in wire feeds. Companies and PR agencies often use newswire services to publicize an announcement, product, event, or anything they hope to attract coverage. Some examples of newswire services include Businesswire, Newswire Today, and Marketwire.

To include in your paper *these types of publication contain content on your topic. 

  • Trade publications may be written by experts in a particular industry. Still, they are not considered scholarly, as they share general news, trends, and opinions rather than advanced research and are not peer-reviewed.
  • Popular magazine articles are typically written by journalists to entertain or inform a general audience,
  • Internet sources  - Sources published online (websites, blogs, magazines, news articles, etc.) are largely unmonitored; their information may be inaccurate or unverifiable. Use the SIFT method to evaluate these sources. Use the advanced search to limit your search to the following: 
    • Date - Limit to the last year; an old date may mean the source is not current or accurate.
    • The site domain on a website (sites ending in “.edu,” “.org,” or “.gov” are generally more credible than “.com” websites.) After initially scanning the source, look closer at the content. The person or organization responsible for the source (well-respected organizations would be more reliable than casual bloggers.

 

Primary Sources in Business Research

A primary source is firsthand testimony or direct evidence. In business research, this could be an interview in a news article, financial statements from an annual report, images of company logos, census data collected by the government, a new law that affects businesses, and data collected by an academic researcher for a new research project.

Examples of primary sources available at the Library:

Census: Contains facts and figures about people, housing, business, and industry in the U.S.

Mergent Intellect: Access to private U.S. and public US and international financial information, including EDGAR/SEC fillings. It also includes industry analysis.

ProQuest Business Collection: Under "Document Type," try the following sources: (1) advertisement; (2) annual report, (3) interview, (5) speech, (6) transcript. Also, try clicking the "Peer Reviewed" box and choosing Source Type "Scholarly Journals." Scholarly articles may be primary and secondary sources. An academic article would be considered a secondary source if no original data or information (such as interviews) were collected and shared.

RMA eStatement Studies -  Composite financial data and financial ratio benchmark for small, mediumU.S.d large U.S. companies. Search by industry keyword or NAICS. Advanced search by industry, year, region, and data types such as assets and sales.

Find out if a journal is peer-reviewed

Popular Secondary Sources