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.
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window Academic Search Complete, designed specifically for academic institutions, is the world's most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1865, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format.
Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window The premier source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles for academic libraries from the world's leading journals, this comprehensive resource covers the physical and social sciences, technology, medicine, engineering, the arts, technology, literature, and many other subjects.
PubMed (National Library of Medicine) This link opens in a new window PubMed® comprises more than 33 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
MEDLINE with Full Text (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window Authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, health care system, and much more. Created by the National Library of Medicine. Search abstracts from over 4,000 current biomedical journals. Coverage dating back to 1965.
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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 Arlene Rodda Quaratiello 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.
Call Number: Lakeland Circulation; Z710 .Q37 2024 ISBN: 9780838938386 Publication Date: 2023-09-12You 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)
Lumia, M., Takkinen, H., Luukkainen, P., Kaila, M., Lehtinen, J. S., Nwaru, B. I., Tuokkola, J., Niemelä, O., Haapala, A., Ilonen, J., Simell, O., Knip, M., Veijola, R., & Virtanen, S. M. (2015). Food consumption and risk of childhood asthma. Pediatric Allergy & Immunology, 26(8), 789–796. https://doi.org/10.1111/pai.12352
Example of a secondary article found in the Library's Academic Search Complete database: (these authors are reviewing the work of other authors)
Rachmah, Q., Martiana, T., Mulyono, Paskarini, I., Dwiyanti, E., Widajati, N., Ernawati, M., Ardyanto, Y. D., Tualeka, A. R., Haqi, D. N., Arini, S. Y., & Alayyannur, P. A. (2022). The effectiveness of nutrition and health intervention in workplace setting: A systematic review. Journal of Public Health Research, 11(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2021.2312
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.
