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OKIsItJustMe

(21,647 posts)
2. I like to go with the original press release, and link to the actual paper.
Sat Aug 2, 2025, 06:57 PM
Aug 2

The actual paper is written by the scientists themselves (the primary source.) The press release is likely written by someone who has spoken to the scientists, and generally is written to be easier to read (a secondary source.) Science Daily items are typically based on the press release (a tertiary source.) They have occasionally made serious errors.

Then, other sites write stories based on an item in Science Daily (or other similar sites.) Sometimes things become horribly twisted as they get further and further away from the primary source.

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