Primary research articles report on a single study. In the health sciences, primary research articles generally describe the following aspects of the study:
Review articles are the most common type of secondary research article in the health sciences. A review article is a summary of previously published research on a topic. Authors who are writing a review article will search databases for previously completed research and summarize or synthesize those articles, as opposed to recruiting participants and performing a new research study.
Specific types of review articles include:
Review articles often report on the following:
Information found in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and other databases can help you determine whether the article you're looking at is primary or secondary.
Full Text Challenge
Can you determine if the following articles are primary or secondary?
Article 1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5368578/
Article 2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6647066/