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Hatch Library Guide
InformationSources Considered
Research Made Simple
Match the information need – your topic -- with appropriate, reliable sources– Books– Newspapers– Magazines – Journals– Websites– Other
What kind of information do you need?
Historical?
Current?
Scholarly?
Popular?
Brief?
In-depth?
Background?
Statistics?
Selecting Sources
Define the type of information you need
Consider which type of source will be most relevant and accurate
Consider the requirements of your assignment
Book? Newspaper? Magazine? Scholarly Journal? Website?
The Beauty of Books
Books offer– Great background information– Overviews– Context & scope– Authority
– editors & publishers – User friendly formats
– print– electronic
Consider Reference Books!
Throughout the research process, reference books can clarify, define, and provide vital background information
– General encyclopedias– Specialized encyclopedias– Dictionaries– Almanacs– Directories– Gazetteers– Atlases
Beyond Wikipedia
Specialized Encyclopedias– Also known as subject encyclopedias– Often have scholarly articles written by experts– Good for finding topics, getting overviews
Electronic Reference Sources– Usually have a print counterpart– You can find these in the library catalog, or in the
Research Database by Subject list under Reference
Periodicals
Periodicals: publications that appear periodically
Types of Periodicals– Newspapers– Magazines– Trade magazines– Journals
Newspapers
Written for a general audience– Reporters and journalists are often generalists, not specialists
Offer very current information – Editors check facts, but because of quick turn-around,
information may contain errors
May provide primary source materials – For example: interviews; advertisements from the 1920s
Major U.S. papers include the New York Times, Wall Street Journal– available at Hatch in e-format & print
Magazines and Journals
Provide excellent secondary source material
Great for current information
Magazines offer a more popular approach –
e.g., Parents Magazine
Journals articles offer a more scholarly approach
e.g., Journal of Marriage and the Family
Journals v. Magazines
Journals Target audience: academics, professionals, researchers Publishers: professional associations, universities Writers: scholars, researchers, specialists, experts Purpose: distribute scholarly information
Magazines Target audience: general public Publishers: companies Writers: generalists, journalists, professional writers Purpose: entertain, inform, make a profit
Magazines Journals
Current information Popular topics: What’s
hot in kitchen gardens this year: get some spice in your life with peppers
Topics try to appeal to a wide range of readers
General discussion Good for overviews or
starting points
Current research Specialized topics:
The impact of the long-horned beetle on maple trees in the 1990s
Often topics have narrow focus, special readership
Detailed examination Good for cutting-edge
ideas
Distinctions Among Magazines
Substantive General Interest – Aimed at an educated readership– Examples:
Scientific American New Yorker
Trade Magazines– Cover a particular industry or field– Examples:
OT Practice (about occupational therapy) National Paralegal Reporter (for paralegal professionals)
Distinctions Among Journals
Peer-Reviewed Journals or Refereed Journals Undergo an editorial process called “peer review” Scholars, academics, or professionals -- sometimes called
“referees” -- review articles submitted to these journals for suitability for publication
Some journals are considered more distinguished or core journals in their fields
For example, APA journals in psychology
How can you tell if a journal is refereed?
See if the journal turns up if you limit your database search to “peer-reviewed” or “refereed” journals
Check the journal’s or publisher’s website, the journal’s inside cover, or the journal’s submission guidelines on the web
Check the reference book Magazines for Libraries
Ask a librarian for help
How can you tell if an online article is scholarly?
Look for citations throughout the article
Look for a list of references at the end of the article
Determine if the language is formal, technical or discipline-specific
Look for charts & graphs
Evaluating Periodicals
Remember: there is a range of publications Different target audiences Different content Different purpose
Consider your audience Psychology Professor? A research article OT client? An article in a health magazine Paralegals? An article in a trade magazine
What’s so greatabout the Web?
Government information– Statistics– Informational brochures
Primary sources– Company homepages– Digital archives
Virtual libraries– Reference materials
News– International newspapers– Academic sites
Professional information– Association homepages– Professional listservs
Online exhibits & tutorials– Universities, libraries,
museums
Be Web Aware…
Information on the Internet comes from a variety of sources.
There are often no editorial boards or publishers screening Web content!
Consumers of all information, particularly from the web, must be critical of sources and evaluate all information.
How Do I Find These Sources?
Books, Videos
Articles – Newspapers
Journals Magazines
Websites
Online Catalogs
Library Research Databases
Search Engines & Subject Directories
Like a river, information starts in one place, and ends up in another
Where information is in its journey -- and how people use it -- determines whether it is considered to be a
Primary source
Secondary source
Tertiary source
The Flow of Information
The Flow of Information from the UCLA College Library illustrates how information is created once an event occurs
Information sources about the event – start out being primary– then become secondary – and finally become tertiary
Primary Sources
Original writings or records
“Firsthand” documents Are not interpreted Example: a diary May not be published Often add originality and interest to research
Primary Sources May Be:
Diaries Letters Memoirs Autobiographies Songs from a historical period Speeches Interviews Photographs of an event Videos of an event Newspaper ads or articles
from a historical period
Artifacts (furniture, recipes, memorabilia)
Records (birth certificates, tax records, property deeds, census data)
Manuscripts (the Declaration of Independence)
Original research reports in scientific journals
Company home pages, memos, reports
Secondary Sources
Restate, evaluate,interpret, or analyze primary source documents or the research of others
Often argue a particular viewpoint Are often published by scholars in academic
publications Many nonfiction books and articles that explore or
interpret a topic are secondary sources– Example: a college research paper– Example: a book about global warming
Tertiary Sources
Tertiary sources organize, summarize, or condense secondary sources of information
These sources point to other sources of information
Many reference books fit into this category
Examples: bibliographies, indexes
How can you tell if a source is primary or secondary?
Consider how you are using the source – context is important.
– A biography of Sylvia Plath is a generally considered to be a secondary source.
– If you are studying approaches to writing biography, though, the very same biography of Plath could become a primary source.
Consider the academic field you are writing in – different rules apply.
– In some sciences, an original research study reported in a journal is considered to be a primary source.
– In history, a research study on early manuscripts is considered to be a secondary source – the manuscripts are primary sources.
Primary? … Secondary?
Both types of sources can be useful in college research papers
Primary sources may seem more difficult to find, but they can add depth and interest to your research
Secondary sources can provide informed opinions or information
Sources: making connections
Research builds on the ideas of others
Use a variety of information sources to explore your research question
– Primary, secondary, tertiary– Books, journals, substantive
magazines, newspapers
Good sources of information lead to better research, better papers
Considering information sources carefully can help make creative research
connections
To learn more, see the following Hatch Library Handouts Scholarly vs. Popular Sources Evaluating Articles Citing Sources
HATCH LIBRAY BAYPATH COLLEGE
CREATED 2000 MH; REVISED 11/09