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- Primary & Secondary
Healthcare Leadership: Primary & Secondary
What is a primary source?
A primary source in science is a document or record that reports on a study, experiment, trial or research project. Primary sources are usually written by the person(s) who did the research, conducted the study, or ran the experiment, and include hypothesis, methodology, and results.
Primary Sources include:
- Pilot/prospective studies
- Cohort studies
- Survey research
- Case studies
- Lab notebooks
- Clinical trials and randomized clinical trials/RCTs
- Dissertations
Primary Sources
Clinical Trials, Randomized Controlled Trials
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CINAHL CompleteBibliographic coverage of the literature in nursing and 17 allied health fields.
Finding Primary
Publication Type: Select Clinical Trial and Randomized Clinical Trial.
(Hold down the CTRL key to select multiple items in the list) -
MEDLINEProvides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and more.
Finding Primary
Publication Type: Select Clinical Trial, Controlled Clinical Trial, and Randomized Clinical Trial.
(Hold down the CTRL key to select multiple items in the list)
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PubMedU.S. National Library of Medicine is a major source for biomedical journal literature and online books.
Finding Primary
From the search results screen, in the left column, under Article Type, click on "more . . ." Check the boxes next to Clinical Trial, Controlled Clinical Trial, and/or Randomized Controlled Trial.
What is a secondary source?
Secondary sources list, summarize, compare, and evaluate primary information and studies so as to draw conclusions on or present current state of knowledge in a discipline or subject. Sources may include a bibliography which may direct you back to the primary research reported in the article.
Secondary Sources include:
- reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis
- newsletters and professional news sources
- practice guidelines & standards
- clinical care notes
- patient education Information
- government & legal Information
- monographs
- entries in nursing or medical encyclopedias
Secondary Sources
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Cochrane LibraryA collection of regularly updated, systematic reviews of the effects of health care.
Search Tip: Keep the search simple. If your topic is "Should women be given hormone replacement therapy" - search for Hormone Replacement Therapy.
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PubMed Clinical QueriesUse the Find Systematic Reviews search box to find citations for systematic reviews, meta-analyses, reviews of clinical trials, evidence-based medicine, consensus development conferences, and guidelines. After searching, click on the Review tab.