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The State University of New York at FredoniaReed Library

Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Primary and Secondary Sources

Primary vs. Secondary Sources [Infographic]

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  • Primary Sources
    • Research & Development: A researcher makes a discovery, develops a product or a new methodology, etc. Notes are taken in a lab notebook
    • Conference Proceedings and Research Reports: The researcher presents findings at a conference or writes a research report
    • Journal Article (Original Research): The researcher submits an article for review and the article is published in a peer-reviewed journal
  • Secondary Sources
    • Journal Article (Article Review): Journal articles become secondary resources when they are reviewed, and appear in a review article
    • Books/Textbooks: The findings of the article are later summarized and published in books

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