In a society where it is extremely important to review the source of information before advancing it to the public. People should be aware of the type of literature and whether to read certain articles with a “grain of salt.” Information being read should be analyzed whether it is first hand knowledge or passed through several interpretations.
Primary literature are derived first hand knowledge through experiencing the event or deriving the evidence. For instance, this research presents original thinking or new discoveries. It would not simply be replicating a study or experiment through another individual’s protocols/methods.
An example related to plant ecology would be the following primary literature: https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/science/article/pii/S0929139319310340?via%3Dihub
Secondary literature would consist of works which analyze, summarize or restate information indicated in primary articles. This would present an author’s interpretation of the original material. For instance examples would include textbooks, books or biographies.
An example of a secondary literature related to plant ecology would be the following book: http://www.esalq.usp.br/lepse/imgs/conteudo_thumb/Plant-Ecology-by-Ernst-Detlef-Schulze–2005-.pdf
Tertiary literature are sources which organize, reinstate and compile and aggregation of several other sources.
For instance, an example of a tertiary literature source would be the following wikipedia page explaining plants: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 