PSY 137: Intro to Organizational Psych

What is the difference between primary research studies and secondary research studies (also called primary and secondary research or sources)?

Primary research definition: When conducting primary research, you collect data through surveys or observations.

For example, primary sources that describe original research and clinical trials will be published as peer-reviewed journal articles. However, this does not mean that all journal articles are primary sources. Primary articles will describe one research project or study. The text of the article will include, at a minimum:

• An introduction with a statement of the research objective.
• A methods section details exactly how the research was performed, with enough information that another researcher could replicate it.
• A results section that describes the data collected, including charts or graphs and statistical analysis.
• A discussion section that interprets the results within the context of the research objective.
• These elements are usually summarized in a structured abstract, where the abstract is split into sections, although not all journals require structured abstracts.

Secondary research definition: In secondary research, you’re looking at existing data from other researchers, such as academic journals, government agencies, or national statistics. Secondary sources, especially systematic reviews, are written under specific guidelines and protocols and often include methods sections and abstracts. For example, secondary sources use primary articles as source material. The text of the article will consist of, at a minimum:

• Review articles.
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
• Other sources, such as practice guidelines and expert topic summaries.

Source: Primary versus Secondary Literature Guide by Drexel University, 2024.

Popular publications, such as magazines, are written in a more conversational style for the general public. Articles often include eye-catching titles and content designed to sell the publications and attract advertisers. These articles are often written by reporters who talk to the experts, then interpret the technical language of the field in a way everyone can understand them. This peer-review process is valued by professionals in the field – from psychiatrists and doctors to professors and therapists -- because they rely on academic journal articles to stay current with the latest developments in their fields. Note: Not every article in every academic journal is peer-reviewed. However, when searching for articles via the library Web site, you may choose to select peer-reviewed articles as part of your search.

Published in academic journals -- Professors and researchers share their latest work with professionals in their disciplines via academic journals. Journal editors choose research to publish that has the greatest impact in those fields.

The process -- Prior to publication, experts in the author's field will review the article. These "peer reviewers" rigorously read and analyze the research and the writing for errors and missing information. After the review, the author is given the opportunity to correct any problems or to withdraw the article from consideration for publication.

For example -- For example, the popular magazine Psychology Today published an article titled "Revenge of the Introverts" with tips on what not to say to introverts. The peer-reviewed Journal of Personality published "Explaining the Extraversion/Positive Effect Relation: Sociability Cannot Account for Extraverts' Greater Happiness," including 30 pages of research data and charts.

Image Credit: Wiley.

Scholarly or peer-reviewed journal articles are written by scholars of a particular subject, whom are considered experts in their field.

• Tip: Scholarly articles usually have an abstract (description of what you'll find in the article), charts/graphs, and a full biography or citation list.

Substantive news articles are reliable sources of information on events of the day/time or issues of concern for the general public or world. Articles from these sources are usually vetted (or double-checked) for credibility.

• Tip: Substantive new articles included a date and time posted with a byline (name of the writer of the article) at the top of the article. If a correction is made to the article, it will include a revision date and time. The correction is noted fully at the bottom of the article.

Popular articles are articles relating to entertainment for the general public, usually these articles are produced by corporations for profit.

• Tip: Popular articles include advertisements (ads), usually, more ads than articles. These ads and the articles themselves are colorful Revisions are noted with date and time, but corrections aren't often noted. The byline is included at the bottom of the articles.

Tabloids "articles" relate to entertainment news but are used to generate a reaction from the general public. These "articles" are often false. 

• Tip: No byline is included. No sources. Often linked to an opinion on a current social issue, no other sources mentioned.