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CHEM3322: Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry

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5. Match Assignment Requirements

Primary and Secondary Research

Primary Sources or Original Research

How can you identify a primary source?

  • Researchers report new, original observations
  • Focus on very narrow topic
  • Short–moderate list of references
  • Target audience: other researchers doing similar work
  • Usually include methodology section (reproducible)

 Reviews or Secondary Research

A review summarizes and interprets multiple primary sources. Reviews can

  • Focus on the history of previous research
  • Assess competing models or hypotheses
  • Survey recent developments

Filter by Document Type

Document Type is an imperfect filter in most library databases, including SciFinder. Most items listed as a Review will also be a Journal [article]. You can

  • Examine abstracts to determine if an item presents original research
  • Use advanced database features to remove reviews from the results

Based on the abstract, is the following article a primary source?

Use Additional SciFinder Filters

Use SciFnder filters to find material matching particular formats required by your assignment.

Filter by Language

You should be able to read the material you cite.

"Undetermined" language items:

  • Older item, incompletely described when added to database
  • Original item includes abstracts in > 1 language
  • Database error

Since items labeled as "undetermined" may be written in English, they are worth a look

Filter by Organization

Scientists collaborate across institutions, and even internationally. Double check the "fine print" in the articles you select to see if members of different research groups co-authored the material.

Why do some organizations appear to be duplicated?

  • Politics in a multi-campus system
  • Information from original item
  • Problem with database housekeeping