| Topic: Primary and Secondary Sources
of Research
Research publications are divided
into primary and
secondary sources of information. Primary sources report the
results
of original studies and represent the latest information on a
topic.
Secondary sources are reviews of several primary sources in a
particular
research area and are not meant to provide the reader with the same
detail
as in primary sources. Secondary sources also contain information
that is dated by at least 1 year, due to
publication lags.
A study examining
children's sibling
relationship in families where one child is seriously ill would be an
example
of a primary source of information. An article reviewing the past
15 years of sibling research, with critiques of previous studies and
suggestions
for future direction, would be an example of a secondary source of
information.
Primary Sources:
Journal Articles
| Journal
articles contain both primary
and secondary sources of information; however, the majority of articles
are primary sources that describe a particular study. A typical
journal
article states the problem under investigation, briefly reviews past
research
on the topic, presents the hypotheses, describes the methods used to
test
the hyotheses, reviews the statistical results, and discusses the
findings.
To learn more about understanding journal articles of this type, click
here. |
Dissertations
Dissertations
are reports of research
studies conducted by advanced-level graduate students to fulfill the
requirements
for a Ph.D. Dissertations are available in their original form at
the university where the graduate student attended. They also may
be available via University Microfilms International, also known as
Bell
and Howell Information and Learning, at this website.
(It might be more
prudent to wait
for the dissertation to be published. Many disserations are 100+ pages
long and can cost up to $70 to retrieve.) |
Secondary Sources:
Review
Articles
Review
articles in journals summarize,
integrate, and critique several studies related to a particular
area.
These articles are a good starting point for someone who is just
beginning
to learn about a topic. Often, the word "review" is in the title
which makes it easier to find these articles through on-line
searches.
Some
journals are completely
devoted to review articles, including Psychology Review and Psychological
Bulletin. |
Chapters
in Books
& Books
| Many chapters
and entire books review
research studies. These types of research literature provide the
broadest exploration of a particular subject without the limitations of
space found in journal articles (even review articles). |
Handbooks &
Annual Reviews
| Other
publications available for reviews
of the literature are from handbooks and annual reviews.
Handbooks
are volumes of books about general areas within psychology. For
example,
child psychology publishes a handbook titled Handbook of
Child
Psychology. The most recent publication of the Handbook was
in
1998, a 4 volume set that reviewed the literature on developmental
theory,
cognitive development, social and emotional development, and child
psychology
in practice, for the past 15 years. Annual Reviews in Psychology
also extensively review research, for the past year only. Both
sources
provide comprehensive information on a variety of topics. |
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