Neuroscience and Behavior  Tags: neuroscience behavior nsb  

"Some students find two or three books about a topic and proceed to write a paper based on these sources. This activity is not research; it is book reporting. In general, books (especially textbooks) are secondary sources, summarizing, interpreting, evaluating, and reporting the research and theorizing of others. Secondary sources are valuable as an introduction to a topic but should not be your sole source of information." (Reed & Baxter, 2003, p. 15)

The same caveat applies to using Google to find sources for your paper. Websites can be valuable sources of information, but they do not replace the scholarship published in books and journals. You should also evaluate websites carefully to be sure they are reliable and appropriate.

Articles published in journals, magazines, and newspapers may also be secondary sources, providing secondhand summaries of research published elsewhere. "A journal such as Psychology Today does not present original research but summarizes research and topics for a lay audience." (Reed & Baxter, 2003, p. 53) Types of articles in this category include theoretical papers and literature reviews. "Theoretical papers typically review the published literature on a particular psychological model or theory, and attempt to evaluate and advance our understanding of that theory.... Literature review papers often focus on a particular psychological phenomenon and summarise what is known about that particular phenomenon. In such a paper, previously published research will be summarised and presented (usually) in chronological order." (Heffernan, 2005, p. 42)

Primary sources include original works of an author--novels, poems, short stories, autobiographies, diaries, and firsthand reports of observations or research. Scholars present the results of their research at conferences, or publish them in dissertations, books, and journals. "Most published psychological research appears in the form of journal articles." (Reed & Baxter, 2003, p. 53)

Scholarly articles that publish original research are primary sources. These articles may present the results of various kinds of research, including clinical case studies, empirical studies, longitudinal studies, qualitative studies, quantitative studies, and treatment outcomes/clinical trials.

See also:

• Primary & Secondary Sources in Education & Psychology (University of California Berkeley Library)
• Types of Scholarly Literature (Five Colleges of Ohio Libraries)
  
  

References

Heffernan, T.M. (2005). A Student's Guide to Studying Psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Psychology Press.

Reed, J.G., & Baxter, P.M. (2003). Library Use: Handbook for Psychology (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.