Library: CHEM 302: Chemical Information Literacy and Communications: Evaluating Resources

Types of Periodicals

Types of Periodicals
	Magazine	Academic Journal	Trade Journal*
Audience	General public	Scholars, researchers, students	Professionals in the field
References	Rare	Required	Occasionally
Author	Journalist	Scholar in the field	Professional in the field
Review policy	Edited for format & style by the magazine's editorial staff	Peer-reviewed - evaluated by experts in the field for content, format & style	Evaluated by editorial staff, who may be experts in the field, for format & style *Some trade journals are also peer-reviewed
Appearance	Colorful, glossy, many photographs & advertisements	Lengthy articles, often including charts & graphs, with few or no advertisements	Advertisements are specific to the trade, contains colorful photographs, glossy
Content	An overview of a topic, personal narratives, general information, interviews, goal is to entertain or inform the general public	In-depth, primary accounts of original findings, specific information, scholarly communication	Current news, trends, products in a specific industry, practical information for professionals in the field
Language	Easily understandable to most readers	Specialized terminology or jargon of the field	Specialized terminology or jargon of the field, but not as technical as an academic journal
Example Article	Carla Hayden	"Good Fences Make Good Neighbors"...	The Road to Mastery

Other Types of Information Sources
Visit the OWL at Purdue for descriptions of more information sources, such as newspapers, reports, and pamphlets.

Primary Sources
Description:	Examples:
First-hand accounts of events. Original ideas. Empirical observations or research.	Diaries Interviews Letters Original works of art Photographs Speeches Works of literature

Secondary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Analyze and interpret historical events or creative works. Provides commentary on a primary source. Offers an interpretation of information found in primary sources.	Biographies Dissertations Journal articles Monographs Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies (used to locate a secondary source)

Tertiary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Presents summaries or condensed versions of primary and secondary sources. Rarely contains any original material.	Dictionaries Encyclopedias Handbooks

Samples
Subject	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
Art	Monet's "Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île" painting	Critical review of the painting	Encyclopedia article about Monet
Literature	Jane Eyre novel	Article about portrayal of disability in Brontë's novels	Companion to the Victorian Novel
Music	O mie porpore più belle, RV 685	Article studying the tonal disjunction between arias and recitatives	Reference article from Grove Music Online about Italian cantatas

This page is modified from Virginia Tech's Library Website, Retrieved December 20, 2016. Link updated May 29, 2018.

Primary Sources
Description:	Examples:
First-hand accounts of events. Original ideas. Empirical observations or research.	Interviews Raw data Newspaper reports about events Notes (i.e. from a psychologist)

Secondary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Analyze and interpret conditions or events. Provides commentary on a primary source. Offers an interpretation of information found in primary sources.	Dissertations Journal articles Monographs News commentaries Magazine articles

Tertiary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Presents summaries or condensed versions of primary and secondary sources. Rarely contains any original material.	Dictionaries Encyclopedias Handbooks

Samples
Subject	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
Anthropology	Interview with member of the Hopi tribe	Book about Hopi land disputes	Encyclopedia of Native American tribes
Psychology	Clinical case notes	Article about treatments for social anxiety disorder	Handbook of Psychology
History	Civil War diary	Article about the Battle of Antietam	Chronological Encyclopedia of the Civil War
Political Science	Geneva Conventions	Article about prisoners of war	List of treaties

This page is modified from Virginia Tech's Library Website, Retrieved December 20, 2016. Link updated May 29, 2018.

Primary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Scientists present results of research. Original documents. First-hand accounts.	Conference proceedings Interviews Journals Lab notebooks Patents Preprints Technical reports Theses and dissertations

Secondary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Analyze and interpret scientific research. Compare various ideas & theories. Summary of existing state of knowledge.	Monographs Reviews Textbooks Treatises

Tertiary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Presents summaries or condensed versions of primary and secondary sources. Rarely contains any original material.	Dictionaries Encyclopedias Handbooks Tables Compilations

Samples
Subject	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
Environmental Science	Case study on sustainable energy	Book on sustainable practices in communities	Encyclopedia article about alternative energy
Chemistry	Chemical patent	Book on chemical reactions	Dictionary of chemistry
Geology	Research study on geology and sediment properties	Book on geology along the Gold Rush trail	Encyclopedia of geology
Biology	Research study about chemotherapy and lymph node dissection	Book on the biology of plants	Handbook of the biology of aging
Mathematics	Euclid's Elements	Book about Euclid's life & work	Handbook of Mathematics

This page is modified from Virginia Tech's Library Website, Retrieved December 20, 2016. Link updated May 29, 2018.

Primary research articles have some unique characteristics.

You will find an "abstract" or summary of the article/research at the beginning of the article.
You will find many subheadings within the article, including, but not limited to, "Methods", "Discussion", and "Results".
You will find a references or bibliography section at the end of the article.
You will find charts, tables, graphs, and images that contain the data complied during the research.

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