How do I tell if a source is a primary research and secondary research?
Answer
Primary research is original work conducted by the person writing the article or study. It might include surveys, interviews, or experiments. A primary research article will describe the methods and design of the research as well as the participants or subjects. This information is usually mentioned briefly in the article's abstract and then with greater detail in the Methodology or Procedure section. Look for keywords like quantitative or qualitative in the abstract.
Secondary research is when an author is only writing about the work of others. They might do this in order to confirm or disprove previous findings or to build on existing work. Articles in this group are often designed to provide an overview of a topic and are sometimes complete long after the original research was conducted. Look for keywords like systematic review or meta-analysis in the abstract.