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