What is a secondary source?
Secondary sources list, summarize, and evaluate primary information and studies so as to draw conclusions on or present our current state of knowledge in a discipline or subject. Sources may include a bibliography which may direct you back to the primary research reported in the article. Examples include a summary of recent research into a drug, an analysis of a nursing theory, an educational video presenting nursing skills, or a narrative about the life of a famous nurse.
How are Secondary Sources Useful?
Secondary sources should be used to answer reference or other general questions. Such questions ask for general knowledge of disease processes or clinical contexts; they ask "who, what, when, why, where or how" about a single disease, drug, intervention or concept.
Accessing Secondary Sources
Secondary sources can be accessed both in print and online. Online sources are often preferred as the most current source of information and can be searched. But sometimes browsing a drug handbook or medical dictionary is just what you need.
Secondary sources include:
