Data Collection and Reporting - the goal of primary, original, research is to answer a research question, and most of the time, this means that data was collected directly, through things like surveys, interviews, or observations, and that data is then analyzed and reported in the publication.
New Knowledge - the goal of primary, original, research is to contribute new information to the field. This can be done by answering questions that have not been addressed before, and it can be done by exploring if something that worked for in a specific place and/or one specific group will work in another place and/or for different group.
First Hand Information - primary, original, research is both primary and original because it is the first time that the data presented in the publication has been collected and analyzed. There are publications in which research might be primary, but not original such as when researchers explore whether previous research can be replicated.
No original data collection - secondary research does not include a description of how original data was collected.
Summarizing existing knowledge - the goal of secondary research is often to provide a summary of the existing knowledge on a topic or idea.
Interpretative analysis - most secondary research includes an analysis that is a commentary, or the author(s) perspective on the already existing data/literature available.
In primary research, the authors report on research they conducted themselves. This should be described in the methods section of the paper, and is often described in the abstract. If the authors report that they performed a literature review, or describe only databases searched, or report about someone else’s research or a different study, it is not primary, original, research.
This is closely tied to the first question, but there can be types of primary research that do not represent original research, so make sure you consider your information needs carefully and select the most appropriate information resource. Did the authors of the article study something and report their findings (generally in the results section) in the paper? ? Look for keywords in the abstract and introduction that tell you that the authors studied something or tried to answer a research question that involved an experiment. Keywords to look for include: "measured," "analyzed," and "investigated."
Primary, original, research article will describe the methods used to conduct the study, usually citing a previous study or a number of studies that seek to answer a similar research question. When you read the methods section, it should to be detailed enough that the study could be replicated. Most articles in health sciences have a clearly labeled methods section, usually under the heading "Methods" or "Methodology", which should provide you with specifics for how an experiment or intervention was conducted, looking for this section heading is a good way to understand if the article is primary, original, research. Even if this specific heading is missing, your article should still explain this to be primary somewhere in the article itself.
The article should also clearly explain the results or outcomes of the research. Often you will see statistics, graphs, and/or tables in the article, which should align with the reported, written results. These depictions of data in primary research articles should describe the outcomes of the experiment and/or intervention that the authors conducted. Headings to look at for this factor include "results," "findings," and "discussion."
Primary, original, research article will always include references. There should be citation throughout the article, and a a works cited, also known as a reference list, at the end of the article. Primary, original, research generally has a wide range of references, they should include references for the background information needed to understand the research question and there should be methodology references and reference for any tools used in the research.
