INFORMATION SOURCES: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources, and Gray literature

We will depend almost entirely on the primary literature, with a smattering of secondary literature review articles, for developing your research proposal.

Primary source: Original manuscript, documents, or records used in preparing a published or unpublished work.

Secondary source: A published or unpublished work that relies on primary source(s).

Gray (=grey) literature: Source material(s) not available through the usual systems of publication (e.g. books or periodicals) and distribution.

Certain disciplines may use different criteria for identifying Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary literature. Check with your professor or faculty advisor for help specific to your discipline

	Primary Sources	Secondary Sources	Gray Literature
Type of work	* Research Articles *Autobiography *Case studies *Dissertations/Theses (Research Chapters)	* Literature Review *Analysis *Biography *Criticism *Dissertations/Theses (Literature review materials) *Editorials *News reporter interviews	*Technical reports *Conference proceedings *Data exchange *Environmental impact statements *Government documents / publications *Market research reports *Online documents *Oral presentations  *Working papers
Author	*In academics or research, often written by an expert or graduate student in the field.	*Author has an interest in the topic. *Can be an expert in the field.	*Author works in the field *Expert in the field. *Masters or PhD candidates
Where published	Peer reviewed journal Books Monograph Scholarly journal	Peer reviewed journals Books, Encyclopedias Newspapers Pamphlets Scholarly journal	Business / Industry publications Government publications (Federal, state & local) Unpublished dissertation / Theses
Where Indexed	SUBJECT-SPECIFIC INDEXES ABI/Inform Web of Science Congressional Universe FirstSearch Databases1 J-STOR Kulwer Lexis/Nexis Westlaw NCJRS Website OVID Proquest Medical, Nursing & Psychology Stat-USA State Capital Universe Statistical Universe 1. FirstSearch databases include subject-specific and general indexes. For help in selecting the right databases, ask a reference staff.	SUBJECT-SPECIFIC & GENERAL INDEXES ABI/Inform Congressional Universe Criminal Justice  Abstracts FirstSearch Databases^1 GaleNet J-STOR Kulwer Lexis/Nexis Westlaw NCJRS Website NetAdvantage OVID Proquest Direct, Medical, Nursing & Psychology Stat-USA State Capital Universe Statistical Universe 1. FirstSearch databases include subject-specific and general indexes. For help in selecting the right databases, ask a reference staff.	INDEXES to GENERAL & GRAY LITERATURE Big Cypress Basin Caloosahatchee Docs Charlotte HarborDocs Criminal Justice Abstr. Dissertation Abstracts^3 ERIC GrayLIT Network Library of Congress National Sea Grant Library NCJRS NOAA NTIS PapersFirst^3 Proceedings^3 Scientific & Technical Information Network http://stinet.dtic.mil/ US Census Bureau USDA USGS WorldCat^3 3. Access through FirstSearch

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