Approaching the issue from multiple perspectives will add complexity to your position, which will lead to a stronger paper. Typically, a well-researched paper will not only include a diverse set of perspectives, but it will include references to a variety of sources that support your ideas. For college level research papers sources tend to use: academic, scholarly or peer-reviewed articles. However your sources will depend on the type of paper and your topic.
Primary sources include original content, first-hand accounts, raw data, documents or objects created at the time of study. Primary sources vary dependent upon the focus of study.
For example, primary sources for a historian will include diaries, letters, newspaper article written at the time of an event; for a literary scholar, she may study a poem, a short story, or novel; for a musicologist, she may study notes written by the composer; for a biologist, she will study the findings of an original research project.
Secondary sources interpret or analyze a primary source. A secondary source provides commentary and discussion of a primary source.
For example, a magazine article that discusses a research study that analyzed data collected from a survey about literacy in rural school districts.
The following video was produced for University of West Florida Library; it contains useful information about primary and secondary sources:
Article databases index both popular, professional/trade, and scholarly journals (or peer reviewed).
Peer reviewed or refereed articles refers to the process in which articles are reviewed by professionals in a field of study before being published. A journal's website should explain the publishing process and if it is peer reviewed or not. Many times professors use the term peer reviewed and scholarly articles synonymously.
CRITERIA | SCHOLARLY | POPULAR | PROFESSIONAL/TRADE |
AUTHOR | Researcher, scholar, or specialist with expertise in the subject; author's credentials are provided | Journalist or staff writer; paid to write articles; may or may not be an expert in the subject | Usually practitioners and professionals in the field (has subject expertise) |
AUDIENCE | Experts, scholars, researchers, professors and students in the field | General public | Professionals in the field; may appeal to the general public |
PURPOSE | In-depth report of original research/findings written by the researcher; communicate scholarship | Current events and general interest stories; may report about other's research; to entertain and inform | Report current news, trends, and products about a specific industry; share practical information for professionals in the field |
TONE | Scholarly or technical jargon or terminology | Accessible and readily understood by a larger audience. | Professional jargon or terminology |
REFERENCES | Sources are cited in a bibliography, references, endnotes, or footnotes | Rare | Few, if any, sources cited |
REVIEW | Refereed or reviewed by scholars in the field | Editor | Editor |
LENGTH | Usually 5+ pages; often includes an abstract, goals and objectives, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion | Usually short, a few pages | Usually short, a few pages |
ADVERTISING | Little to none; occasional ads for professional organizations or publications | Numerous ads for a variety of products and services | Many ads for products, services, and organizations related to the profession or trade |
FREQUENCY | Issues published quarterly, semi-annually, or annually | Issues published weekly or monthly | Issues published weekly or monthly |
EXAMPLES | |||
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION | A book review or editorial published in a scholarly journal does not fit the criteria for a scholarly article. |