This guide goes over how to find and analyze primary research articles in the sciences (e.g. nutrition, health sciences and nursing, biology, chemistry, physics, sociology, psychology). In addition, the guide explains how to tell the difference between a primary source and a secondary source in scientific subject areas.
If you are looking for how to find primary sources in the humanities and social sciences, such as direct experience accounts in newspapers, diaries, artwork and so forth, please see Finding Primary Sources in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
To get started, choose one of the databases below. Once you log in, enter your search terms to start looking for primary articles.
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You must log in to use library databases and eBooks. When prompted to log in, enter your Passport credentials.
If you have trouble, try resetting your Passport pin, sending an email to HelpDeskRequests@polk.edu, or calling the Help Desk at 863.292.3652.
You can also get help from Ask a Librarian.
Keep your search terms simple.
Use the "Advanced Search" feature of the database.
Re-read the assignment guidelines often
Not finding what you are looking for?
The College Student's Research Companion: Finding, Evaluating, and Citing the Resources You Need to Succeed by
Most college students are novice researchers for whom Google is the option of first resort. But the information provided by the surface websites usually found this way often lacks substance and is of questionable authority. You can save your students from fruitless, random web searching with the help of this cutting-edge guide, newly updated to reflect the broad range of today's information sources. It's a must-have tool for first-year composition and information literacy courses, LIS collections, and graduate-level research. With this trusted resource by their side, students will master the skills needed to integrate quality informational sources into their writing, enabling them to craft better essays; receive guidance on topic selection, time management, and research planning; learn a five-step process for evaluating sources; be introduced to the fundamentals of database searching, using reference sources, and finding periodical articles, books, and websites; get pointers on using sources properly, with advice on citing them according to widely used documentation styles, avoiding plagiarism, quoting or paraphrasing correctly, and incorporating notes; and find review questions and exercises at the end of each chapter, reinforcing the concepts they have just learned.
You can use the library's databases to search for primary research articles. A research article will almost always be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Therefore, it is a good idea to limit your results to peer-reviewed articles. Click on the Advanced Search-Databases tab at the top of this guide for instructions.
The following is _not_ primary research:
Review articles are studies that arrive at conclusions after looking over other studies. Therefore, review articles are not primary (think "first") research. There are a variety of review articles, including:
Having trouble? Look for a method section within the article. If the method section includes the process used to conduct the research, how the data was gathered and analyzed and any limitations or ethical concerns to the study, then it is most likely a primary research article. For example: a research article will describe the number of people (e.g. 175 adults with celiac disease) who participated in the study and who were used to collect data.
If the method section describes how the authors found articles on a topic using search terms or databases, then it is mostly likely a secondary review article and not primary research. If there is no method section, it is not a primary research article.
Other sections in a journal:
Your search may yield these items, too. You can skip these because they are not full write-ups of research:
Example of a primary research article found in the Library's Academic Search Complete database: (these authors conducted an original research study)
Example of a secondary article found in the Library's Academic Search Complete database: (these authors are reviewing the work of other authors)
Look for these sections: (terminology may vary)
Scan the article you found to see if it includes the sections above. You don't have to read the full article (yet). Look for the clues highlighted in the images below.
