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Primary Scientific Articles: DNA structure announced in a series of articles in Nature
[Several articles]('http://www.nature.com/nature/dna50/archive.html' ) announce the DNA double helix model. Watson & Crick present the model , Franklin & Gosling support the model with X-ray diffraction data, and Wilkins et al. support the presence of helical DNA in vivo.
The articles are primary scientific sources, recounting the results of the research performed, but have also become primary historical sources.
The articles cite prior scholarly articles and informal communications, and will themselves be cited in many publications. -
Newspaper article reporting on DNA's helical structure
The New York Times report on the double helix model is now a primary historical source. It is also a secondary scientific source, distilling the primary research for a lay audience.
The newspaper article was published within a few months of the initial journal articles' publication. Today the turnover is often even quicker. -
Primary Historical Book: Watson reminisces in The Double Helix.
This is a primary historical source, since Watson is recounting his own experiences for a general audience.
Watson's book is not, however, a primary scientific source, since what he is recounting is not the actual research, but his experience of it. -
Secondary or Primary Historical Book? Anne Sayre publishes Rosalind Franklin & DNA
Sayre's book serves several roles. It is a secondary source recounting Franklin's role in the discovery of the double helix. On the other hand, as a piece in dialogue (or dispute) with Watson's account, it could serve as a primary source for a researcher analyzing later rhetoric around Franklin's role in developing the model. As a memoir of a friend of Franklin's it could also be seen as a primary source. -
Secondary Magazine article
"Double-teaming the double helix", from U.S. News and World Report, recounts the history of modeling DNA's structure. It is brief, informative and provides many facts in support of an argument, but it is not a scholarly argument. Secondary and published primary sources are used, and, unusually for a magazine, listed for the reader to consult. -
Secondary Historical Book: Brenda Maddox publishes The Dark Lady of DNA
Maddox's book is a secondary historical source, published almost 50 years later. She makes careful use of primary documents to develop an argument about Franklin's life and her role in the discovery of the double helix. She cites prior secondary works plus published and unpublished primary sources. Secondary sources can be written sooner than 50 years after an event, but it takes significant time to gather evidence and develop arguments. -
Secondary Scholarly Article
Soraya de Chadarevian's scholarly article in Isis on the iconography of the photo of Watson & Crick and the DNA model cites the original Nature articles, Watson's memoir, and Maddox's book. The secondary scholarly article has a more tightly focused topic and argument than the secondary books. Like a secondary book, though, it takes time to collect evidence and develop arguments. -
Scholarly Book Review: Dark Lady of DNA
This scholarly review of Brenda Maddox's Dark Lady of DNA is published seven months after the book itself is released.
The reviewer places the book in a scholarly context and evaluates it for accuracy and significance. For example, this review notes that it is rare for a scholarly journal to review more popular works such as Maddox's. The book can't be ignored by scholars, but is contextualized. -
Reference Source: Dictionary of Scientific Biography
The Dictionary of Scientific Biography is a reference source, also called a tertiary source. It synthesizes the major writings on a topic in brief entries. Franklin's entry provides a factual overview, an overview of the secondary literature, and ends with a bibliography of key primary and secondary sources for a scholar to consult. It takes immense amounts of time to compile a reference source, so they are less current than other sources, but they can jump start your research.
