Sources of Health Information
Instructions: In the tables below, indicate with an "x" in the appropriate
column if the characteristic or example described is a primary, secondary, or
tertiary source of health information. Answers are listed on the last page.
Characteristics of Health Information
Condensed into brief, easy-to-read
format for general public
First-hand research
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
The most reliable source of
information
Reorganizes information from
primary literature
The most commonly encountered
source of information for most
people
Contains a methods section
Provides a discussion and conclusion
from research findings
Allows for the most potential for error
or misinterpretation
An interpretation of existing research
is provided
The least reliable source of
information
Summarizes information from
primary literature
Peer-reviewed before publication
Often, only general conclusions of
research are discussed
Lesson content created by the Rothenberger Institute in the School of
Public Health at the University of Minnesota. © 2016 Regents of the
University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
1
Health Information Examples
News sources
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Data compilations, such as Vital &
Health Statistics
Tabulated sets of data
Textbooks
Wikipedia
Conference papers
YouTube
Magazines
Technical reports
Literature review articles
Original research
Article indexes/databases, such as
MEDLINE
Lesson content created by the Rothenberger Institute in the School of
Public Health at the University of Minnesota. © 2016 Regents of the
University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
2
Answer Key
Primary sources:
 First-hand research
 Contains a methods section
 Provides a discussion and conclusion from research findings
 Peer-reviewed before publication
 The most reliable source of information
 Conference papers
 Technical reports
 Tabulated sets of data
 Original research
Secondary sources:
 An interpretation of existing research is provided
 Summarizes information from primary literature
 Reorganizes information from primary literature
 Textbooks
 Literature review articles
 Article indexes/databases, such as MEDLINE
 Data compilations, such as Vital & Health Statistics
Tertiary sources:
 The most commonly encountered source of information for most
people
 The least reliable source of information
 Allows for the most potential for error or misinterpretation
 Often, only general conclusions of research are discussed
 Condensed into brief, easy-to-read format for general public
 Wikipedia
 YouTube
 News sources
 Magazines
Lesson content created by the Rothenberger Institute in the School of
Public Health at the University of Minnesota. © 2016 Regents of the
University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.
3