Reference Sources Research Step 2 Gather Resource Types Research

Check out our FAQ page for additional information Reference books are located on level 3. The Art Library and the Music Library have their own reference sections. Reference books are useful for quick fact checking and for background information. As such, they remain in the building. Examples of reference books include: almanacs, atlases, dictionaries, directories, encyclopedias and indexes.

Reference sources are most useful when you are beginning to work on a topic and need to acquire some background knowledge about it. You may not end up citing them in your bibliography or Works Cited page, but they can help you to get started. Selecting the type of sources for your research can begin with something as simple as tertiary sources (for example, encyclopedias) which provide background information on a particular subject or topic. If you are interested in learning about vaccines, an encyclopedia can provide details about the vaccine’s history (who developed it, where, how long ago, etc). Perhaps the developers of the vaccine, the associated sickness, and the time-period will direct you to books published by those researchers or news reports from publications of that time. Also, the names of the researchers, the companies, and any medical terms mentioned will be valuable pieces of information to collect and use later as “key terms” or keywords.

These pages are intended to be a step-by-step guide to refer to while writing a research paper. For extra help, ask a librarian! ​This step addresses understanding and gathering your information sources. There are many options available for you to use as research sources. PRIMARY SOURCES are original materials on which other research is based, including: ​SECONDARY SOURCES are those that describe or analyze primary sources, including:

Whatever sources you choose, the most important thing to remember is to establish the CREDIBILITY of the source. Credibility is important because you will be using it as evidence to support your work and you want to find the best evidence that you can. Be sure to give yourself adequate time to thoroughly brainstorm your topic, search for sources, evaluate the information you find, and complete your assignment. The University of Michigan Libraries' Assignment Calendar can help you outline the tasks you need to complete with deadlines to keep you on track. 1. What are the main concepts of your topic and what keywords might you use when searching?

2. Determine what information you need. Follow your instructor's syllabus carefully. 3. Get background information on your topic. Research typically involves using a variety of sources including:

The materials in the SFCC Library are organized by the Library of Congress (LC) Classification System. This puts items on similar subjects together on the shelf. Books and DVDs on the same subject will have the same call number. Each item is given a subject heading that corresponds to a call number which identifies the location of the item on a shelf. Call numbers consist of letters and numbers, and are arranged on the shelves in alphabetical AND numerical order. This is where that "keywords" list you came up with earlier will come in handy!

Think of it like a shopping list: When you're ready to do your 'shopping' on Google or in a library database, you'll have plenty of search terms to choose from. The additional tabs on this page will get you started with making the most of those keywords. Boolean searching is the traditional way to search for information in most online databases and on the Internet. Boolean operators or connector words, such as AND, OR, and NOT, are used to create phrases and concepts based on specific rules of search logic. hotels OR motels www OR world wide web theater OR theatre Reach out to your subject librarian for expert advice on how and where to search based on your topic/research.

Reach out to the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections for primary resources. Often you will be tasked with finding different types of resources for your assignments. A professor may say, "I need you to find at least one primary source and 3-4 scholarly, peer-reviewed journals on your topic." First step is understanding what kinds of resources fall into these categories. Next, you find them. Context and intent of the resource is very important. In short, was it written by the person(s) who witnessed or created the source or is it a review, summary, interpretation of a source?

Option 1 is primary and option 2 is secondary in most cases. These sources are first-hand accounts of events or evidence without any interpretation, comments, or filter. Primary sources show the information, research, or event as the original material; they display original thought, or report on new discoveries, or share new information. Congratulations! You have chosen a topic and are ready to gather relevant (see next page for information about how to evaluate your resources) and fact-based evidence. Once you have explored the resources, it is essential that you understand how to properly gather your information.

Use the resources here to assist you in collecting information so it works for you. When you conduct research for class projects, your instructor may require that you use scholarly resources or ask that some of your information be from primary sources. Sources can be scholarly or popular; information can be primary or secondary. A Source provides Information that offers Evidence for your research. The information presented here is intended to help you distinguish between these different types of resources so that you can confidently conduct the necessary research. One such resource is this handout, which has a comparison chart for Source types (e.g.

Popular, Trade, & Scholarly sources), types of Information (e.g. Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary), and types of Evidence (e.g. Positive, Negative, & Indirect). Use the section/s necessary for your assignment. You may find a variety of source types when working on the research for your assignment. The differences between them can vary such as the depth of topic coverage, intended audience (e.g.

academic, general), and purpose. Think about what type will provide the information you need: Reminder: Always review the assignment for any source requirements (e.g. publication date of source, type of source). The Information Timeline video (3:28 minutes) reviews the process for how different types of sources are created. PO Box 210033 Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0033

Alerts | Clery and HEOA Notice | Notice of Non-Discrimination | eAccessibility Concern | Privacy Statement | Copyright Information Check out our FAQ page for additional information An academic library includes a vast array of sources, of all types. Establishing an understanding of the resources available to you will inform your approach to finding books, articles, news reports, data, research studies, etc. Which ones you will need to use depends on the nature of your research. This section will describe some types of sources and explain when you might use them and how you can find them.

Selecting the type of sources for your research can begin with something as simple as tertiary sources (for example, encyclopedias) which provide background information on a particular subject or topic. If you are interested in learning about vaccines, an encyclopedia can provide details about the vaccine’s history (who developed it, where, how long ago, etc). Perhaps the developers of the vaccine, the associated sickness, and the time-period will direct you to books published by those researchers or news reports from publications of that time. Also, the names of the researchers, the companies, and any medical terms mentioned will be valuable pieces of information to collect and use later as “key terms” or keywords. While tertiary sources are fundamental important to beginning our research, your professor may ask for primary or secondary sources for your assignments. In the next section, we go into further detail about all three types so that you can better understand their individual and special purpose.

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