Amanda Days

Professor Janet Rinehart-Kim

Genetics BIOL 294

9/9/2022

“Writing Assignment 1”

            A primary article is usually a published work that directly reports on the scientific process, results, and the research done. Primary articles will have something being tested or measured, including how it is done and the results with interpretation. The usual sections in a primary article are method and results (Trask, 2021), but could also include others like abstract, discussion, and sources (Cornell University, 2021). In other words, a primary article, especially a research article, will contain the sections similar to those in a scientific report on a research project that you would find in every lab.

            A review article is similar to a primary article in the sense that they contain similar information, but that is because the review article summarizes the primary article and reflects on the information and processes described. Review articles will be broken into sections that give information on the article’s topic, discuss the results, and then describe ways the research could improve or be advanced (Author Services, 2022). The review article’s purpose is to highlight the main ideas in the article, then to expand on the results or the research process that was used. As stated by the Library of Cornell University, review articles are not a complete collection of the knowledge in the primary article. Reviews also allow the author to critique the process and results, and further define ways the research could be improved, if it had any flaws or shortcomings.

            For an article to take place, it must pass through many different types of reviews to prove that it is up to the standards of its publisher. The journalist’s editor will determine if the article is of worth to the journal, then will send it off to be peer reviewed if it is. The reviewers, or referees, will ask questions to determine the quality of the article and will advise the journalist on whether or not to accept it. If it is accepted, usually there are revisions that need to be made. Lastly, the article would be added to the journal to be published.

            As stated earlier, primary articles have distinct sections that are necessary to state the information that the article finds. The article titled Permanent inactivation of Huntington’s disease mutation by personalized allele-specific CRISPR/Cas9, is an example of a primary article. It is divided into the sections seen in this type of article including the abstract, introduction, results, discussion, and references. The article titled Huntington’s Disease: Mechanisms of Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Strategies, is an example of a review article because it is not discussing research and findings completed by the author, but that of someone else. It also expands on the findings of the primary article it was based on after summarizing the information and results from it.

Sources:

Trask, Jay. Q. how do I know if an article is a primary or secondary research article? How do I

know if an article is a primary or secondary research article? – FAQ. (2021, October 21).

Retrieved September 9, 2022, from https://libanswers.unco.edu/faq/164069

What is a review article?: Learn how to write a review article |. Author Services. (2022, July

18). Retrieved September 9, 2022, from

paper/how-to-write-review-article/

Cornell University, L. (2021, June 16). Tutorial: Scholarly literature types: Primary vs.

secondary articles. LibGuides. Retrieved September 9, 2022, from