Students can easily get confused between the different class of literature when they are first starting off writing their very first essay or lab report. I’m sure I did! However, before I started doing my research for those assignments, I took a lot of time to understand the differences between a peer-reviewed primary, secondary and tertiary literature.
I am going to be helping you tell the difference between the different sources of literature with an explanation as well as an example of documents that are related to Araucaria araucana – Monkey Puzzle Tree!
Peer-Reviewed Primary Literature
Primary literature is where the researcher publishes their own findings and thus is their original research and new scientific discoveries. It shows research activities and methods done to conduce the experiments. Primary literature often includes introductions, methods, results, discussions and analysis of data collected in either the field or laboratory that are often displayed in tables, charts or graphs. Some examples include original research published as articles in peer-reviewed journals, technical reports, etc.
Specific Example for Araucaria araucana:
Bekessy, S., Allnutt, T., Premoli, A. et al. Genetic variation in the vulnerable and endemic Monkey Puzzle tree, detected using RAPDs. Heredity 88, 243–249 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.hdy.6800033
This article is a considered a primary literature because they tested random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to determine genetic heterogeneity within and among 13 populations of the Monkey Puzzle Tree species. They included a materials and method section which confirms that they conducted the experiment and wasn’t just based on another research article. They showed results and analyzed the results using various statistical tests and also explained using a lot of graphs, charts and tables
Secondary Literature
Secondary literature are critiques, reviews or descriptions of a primary sources/original work that other people did. They sometimes contain pictures, quotes, or graphics of primary sources. Some examples include review articles, systematic reviews, and meta analyses. Summaries reported in textbooks, magazines, and newspapers are also considered secondary sources.
Specific Example for Araucaria araucana:
Aagesen, D.L. Indigenous resource rights and conservation of the monkey-puzzle tree (Araucaria araucana, araucariaceae): A case study from Southern Chile. Econ Bot 52, 146 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02861203
This is considered a secondary literature source because they collected some of their data collected from archival research n national and provincial capitals. Although they included an abstract, they didn’t include any of the other sections that were included in primary sources such as methods, results, or discussion.
Tertiary Literature
Tertiary sources use information that are gathered from a variety of primary and secondary resources. Tertiary literature can be textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibliographies, etc.
Specific Example for Araucaria araucana:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_araucana
This is a Wikipedia article which is similar to an encyclopedia, but on the web. It includes a large number of facts, information and pictures that are gathered from various other sources that are listed at the very end of the Wikipedia page (references).
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 
