Once you have determined the topic for your project, you will need to search for information. There are many types of information sources available for your research. The professor's guidelines and the topic of your research will determine the types of sources that are the most appropriate: books, journals, newspapers, dissertations, websites, and audio or video recordings.
Sources |
Examples |
Primary: a first person account by someone who experience or witnessed an event |
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Secondary: a secondary source is one step removed from the original source. The author is reexamining, interpreting, and drawing conclusions based on the information that is conveyed in the primary source. |
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Tertiary: a tertiary source is further removed from the primary source. It leads a researcher to a secondary source, rather than the primary source. |
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Popular Magazines |
Trade Journals |
Scholarly Journals |
Audience |
All readers |
Professionals working in a specific field. Example: Nurses |
Scholars and Students |
Appearance |
Glossy paper, many ads and pictures |
Glossy paper, short articles, many ads and pictures |
Research articles with charts and graphics, few pictures |
Author |
Freelance writers or journalists hired by magazine |
Members of the profession |
Professors, scholars or teachers in the field |
Purpose |
Entertain and inform |
Keep professionals up to date with trends in the field |
Publish new research in the field |
References |
Very few citations |
Very few citations |
References are listed at the end of each article |
Authority |
Articles reviewed by magazine’s editors |
Articles reviewed by magazine’s editors |
Articles undergo peer-review by scholars within the same field |
Frequency |
Published weekly or monthly |
Published weekly or monthly |
Published a few times a year, quarterly |
Examples |
Time, People |
Advertising Age, Education Week |
Higher Education Research & Development |
Understanding how information sources differ in terms of authority, timeliness, and accessibility will help you determine the correct information sources for your research project. View the video to see the role that blogs, newspapers, books, journals, and websites play in the information cycle of an event.
If your professor allows you to include websites in your research, you can use a search engine such as Google to search for resources. Keep in mind that you will need to evaluate the validity of material found on websites and it is a good idea to verify the information from a second source.