PHRM 832: Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine

You can imagine a primary resource as if someone is telling you something they did directly. A primary resource is one that relays the information directly from the researchers who gathered it. An example of this would be a randomized control trial or other study. You will see the data and direct information. While there is still usually a literature review, the primary content of the resource is new information. Many times these resources will go through a peer review process (where other experts in the field read the content before approving publication), but this is not always the case.

Keep in mind that most databases/resources that have primary resources are not dedicated to only primary resources. So, while you will be able to use these databases to find primary research you shouldn't assume everything in them is primary.

Secondary resources can be seen as resources where you are being told information second hand. These are often times articles where the authors are not the ones who did the research themselves but they are synthesizing what has been done by others. Examples of secondary resources are guidelines, meta-analysis, and systematic reviews. 

Keep in mind that most databases/resources that have secondary resources are not dedicated to only secondary resources, with the exception of resources dedicated to systematic reviews (like Cochrane) or other specific literature types. So, while you will be able to use these databases to find secondary research you shouldn't assume everything in them is secondary.

These are resources that you use to get a quick overview of something. They have oftentimes gone through multiple layers of searching, editing, and combining of literature/common knowledge. It's not someone telling you directly about the primary research nor is it primary research itself. This is usually information that is well accepted in clinical practice and can be repeated without necessarily having a citation. Many times background information will fall into this category.