Scientific Literature
Scientific literature is the entirety of scientific knowledge that has been published. Based on research and discovery, scientific literature is broken down into two categories: primary literature and secondary literature.
Primary Literature
Primary literature are publications that report on original scientific research. This includes peer-reviewed/scholarly journal articles, conference papers, some monographs (books), technical reports, and theses and dissertations.
Secondary Literature
Secondary literature are publications that synthesize, summarize, and condense what is known on a topic. Rather than reporting on original research, the writers analyze previously produced literature and provide a narrative of it. This includes review articles, textbooks, handbooks, and manuals.