Different types of sources can be very helpful for different types of people in different scenarios. The three most common types of literature used in scientific writing are peer reviewed primary, secondary and tertiary literature. Peer reviewed primary literature contains content that is gathered firsthand by the author. The experiments are done, studies are conducted and results are collected and reported by the author themselves. The paper is then peer reviewed. This process can take quite some time, with the literature being looked over and approved by others in similar fields, to ensure the content is appropriate and accurate. One example of a peer reviewed primary source is a paper on elevated growth and biomass along temperate forest edges (Morreale et al., 2021). Secondary literature interprets another author’s work. The information is obtained from primary sources and the literature is written about it. These include things like reviews, critiques, studies and analyses. The raw data is not collected by the author. An example of this is the review written by Hanley et al. (2020) about coastal ecosystems. The final type of literature is tertiary literature. This is a compilation or summary of sources, often giving secondary sources but can be primary as well. This can be used as a resource or tool for people to use for references. This type of literature includes encyclopaedias, databases and catalogues. The Wikipedia page on the temperate deciduous forest is an example of this type of literature. Each type of literature can be used for its own individual scenarios.
Hanley ME, Bouma TJ, Mossman HL. The gathering storm: optimizing management of coastal ecosystems in the face of a climate-driven threat. Ann Bot. 2020;125(2):197-212. doi:10.1093/aob/mcz204
Morreale, L. L., Thompson, J. R., Tang, X., Reinmann, A. B., & Hutyra, L. R. Elevated growth and biomass along temperate forest edges. Nature communications, 2021;12(1), 7181. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-27373-7
Temperate Deciduous Forest. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperate_deciduous_forest. Published February 23, 2022.
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 