Academic Writer

academic writer: evidence: secondary sources

Secondary sources
When we write academic papers we aim to challenge or extend current knowledge or theories. However original your work, it is almost certainly related to existing studies. Even if you are working mainly on primary research, you will need to survey other published work in your area of study. If you are writing a longer academic paper a literature review will show that you are aware how your own work is linked to published work.
Links on the web show us more clearly than ever before how closely our research is related to existing work. In this hyperlinked world we are ever more aware of the need to establish credibility in the context of existing work.

Academic Writer 2000