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Test your skill in identifying primary and secondary sources
Read the following scenarios and answer the questions after each.
Scenario 1. Part A. A nurse conducts an
experiment on whether spirituality helps people cope at the end
of life. The findings are published in a journal focused on
end-of-life care.
Is the journal article a primary or secondary source?
Scenario 1. Part B. Upon publication of the
nurse's article, it is read by a newspaper columnist who in turn
writes a short article to describe the nurse’s research
findings.
Is the newspaper article a primary or secondary source?
Scenario 2. Part A. A historian conducts
research into the popularity of herbal remedies during the 18th
century. In order to conduct research, the historian looks at
newspapers from the 18th century to find out whether there were
many advertisements for herbal therapies.
Are the newspaper advertisements a primary or secondary
source?
Scenario 2. Part B. Through the research
process, the historian determines that during the 18th century,
many herbal therapies were marketed to cure ill-temper. The
historian publishes his/her findings as a journal article.
Is the journal aticle a primary or secondary source?
Scenario 3. A researcher reviews all
previously published material on the topic of placebo
effectiveness for pain relief. The researcher writes a journal
article that summarizes all previous research.
Is the journal article (known as a review article because
it reviews all previously published work) a primary or secondary
source?