This document discusses the differences between primary and secondary research sources for writing a research paper. It covers topics such as the two general stages of writing a research paper being research and composition and observation and reporting. A working thesis should be about the subject but also original. Primary research involves conducting interviews, surveys, experiments, and skimming essays while secondary research includes academic journals, websites, and personal observation. Secondary research provides access to existing research and analysis while primary research allows capturing the human element of an issue. Most research for papers relies more on secondary sources.
