The ability to find information on any topic can be what determines someone who can make a good argument versus a great one. Knowing what kind of sources you are looking at and what makes a good source is vital when doing research. Three distinctive types of literature are defined in research: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. These different resources can provide varying information on the same topic. Primary articles deal with direct research done, for example this journal article by Kent, Stevens, and Zhang (2001) who wrote a peer reviewed article about urban plant ecology patterns. Secondary articles are a collection of primary articles compiled into one source, often having references to these articles they use. For example an article by Nitoslawski et al. (2019) which discusses trends, technologies, and turning points for urban forestry. This review compiles evidence from many sources to provide a large amount of information summarizing which summarizes said sources. Tertiary sources are sources that take information from primary and secondary sources to compile this information for simpler understanding. Wikipedia and news articles are examples of tertiary sources specifically an article written by Mark Kinver (2014) which discusses a study done by another team on the effects of urbanization on biodiversity. Tertiary sources are not meant to be used in academia nor research but they provide links and resources to find the primary and secondary sources that can then be used as solid resources. Understanding what source you are looking at when developing ideas is a concrete way to building arguments and understanding literature.
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 