How do I identify a primary research article?
Answer
Unlike science review articles, which tend to assemble and summarize various pieces of scholarly literature, a primary research article reports on a specific experiment that's been conducted by a researcher either in a lab or in the field.
To see if you have a primary research article, skim through the article, and look for the following:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methods/Materials
- Primary research articles should include a methods section, a description of the subjects, procedures, and tools used. A methods section is the most obvious indicator that what you have is a primary research article.
- Results/Discussion/Findings
- Conclusion/Concluding Remarks
- References/Works Cited/Bibliography
- All primary research articles should come from a scholarly journal. As such, these articles will always include a bibliography, works cited, or reference list.
You can find primary research articles in the library databases.