What is a primary research article?

A primary (or original) research article reports on an empirical research study in the science, technology, engineering, and medical (STEM) fields. The article typically reports on the author(s) own work and findings from original research after conducting an original experiment.

How do I search for a primary research article?

Primary research articles are published in peer-reviewed journals and can be found through various STEM-based databases. Scopus is a popular database for such articles. 

More resources can be found on the Library's A-Z list of databases. Here, you can browse through all the available databases at the University of Waterloo and see a short description of the materials available. 

Search tips

• To narrow your search on A-Z List of databases, you can use the "All Subject" drop down menu to select a subject, then choose a subject relevant database to search.
• Keywords to include in your search might be: analysis, study, trial, investigation, examination, experiment, content analysis, or surveys.
• This research can be tricky, so don't hesitate to contact the relevant subject librarian for more help.