Because research articles are written for an audience of scholars and professionals in the area of study, they can be hard to understand at first! This page has some resources to help with understanding the research in an article, and how to decipher some of the terminology used.
Primary sources are original materials or evidence. In your field, you may be looking for "primary research articles," or articles that describe a study and provide the study results. An example of a primary source is a randomized controlled trial.
Secondary sources analyze, interpret or synthesize the primary materials. An example of a secondary source is a systematic review. These reviews compile randomized controlled trials and other studies to provide the reader with a picture of the research on a specific topic.
SAGE Research Methods (SRM) is a specialized database of resources about research. The resources in SRM will help you read, understand, conduct, and write up your own research studies. SRM has handbooks and guides to understanding research methods and concepts. You can also use tools like the Methods Map to visually navigate between concepts.
SRM can help you...
Learn how a literature review is written
Search to learn more about specific theories
Understand the structure of a scholarly article
Ask a librarian for help navigating and using SRM!