Introduction to Library Research
Recognize Not Everything Is a Website!
Many sources will be found using a computer and the internet, but that doesn't mean the source itself is a website. Sources you can find online include eBooks, journal articles, newspaper articles, magazine articles, blogs, etc. Always make sure to determine what type of source you are using.
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Appreciate Source Categories
It's crucial to understand sources in order to conduct library research effectively.
All sources can be classified into three categories.
- Audience - Popular/Everyday or Scholarly/Academic?
- Proximity - Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary?
- Format - Type or packaging, such as magazine, news, journal, book, website, etc.
Audience
Popular (Everyday)
These sources are written for the average reader and general public. No special knowledge is required to understand them. They can be about any topic.
Scholarly (Academic)
These sources are written by experts for experts in an academic or scholarly setting. They expect background knowledge and use specialized, high-level vocabulary. They often contain reports of research findings and original analysis.
Proximity
Primary
Primary sources were created during the original event, such as letters, diaries, artwork, works of literature, photographs, etc. Students often create primary sources as part of their research, such as conducting interviews, observing places or events, and polling or surveying.
Secondary
Secondary sources are a step removed from primary sources, or secondary to the original. They include analysis of and commentary on primary sources. For example, a poem is a primary source. A critical article examining that poem is a secondary source. Secondary sources help readers understand the importance or significance of a primary source.
Tertiary
Tertiary sources are another step removed from primary sources, or three spaces removed from the original. Wikipedia is probably the best-known tertiary source. These sources collect and combine information from primary and secondary sources and repackage it in an easy-to-read format. They are excellent sources for explainers and background articles to help start your research. Besides encyclopedias, dictionaries are another example of a tertiary source.
Format
Not everything is a website despite our accessing all types of sources via the web. Specific source types are produced and packaged for specific audiences. For example, magazines are intended for a general reader, while journals are intended for an academic reader. Source types include books, news, social media, trade journals, and websites with each trying to fulfill different information needs. Check out our explainer slides below to learn more about specific source types.
- Source Types - Show Me©Information Literacy from NoodleToolsPick a source type to explore including how to recognize find, evaluate, use, and cite it.
Classify Your Information Needs
They type of source you need depends on your information need,
Background
Start here to get when you don’t know much about the topic to find basic information and get context. These sources help you find angles, search terms and approaches to your topic.
Current events
These sources help you clarify for your audience why they should care about your topic.
Data / Statistics
These sources help you demonstrate how your topic impacts and affects others.
Opinion
Most everyone has opinions that tell you what they think or feel. These sources can be useful to portraying lived experience and are easy to find.
Analysis
Analysis is credible and reliable interpretation of events, data, or research filtered through expertise and/or education. It can be easy to confuse with opinion; anyone can have an opinion about football, but a former professional football player or coach might offer in-depth, expert analysis.
Research
In college classes, research is the platinum level source. Research can be presentations of new information or facts from studies, investigations, interviews, or scholarship done by academics, scientists, scholars, or other researchers.
Fathom the Pros & Cons of Different Information Source Types
Pro:
- Peer-reviewed: experts read and comment on quality of article prior to publication
- Authority is clear
- Articles written by the experts themselves, not by outside journalists
- Almost always include citations
- Often affiliated with professional organizations
- Less influenced by ad revenue than magazines and newspapers
Con:
- Not cheap or easy to find outside of academia
- Publish articles less frequently than newspapers or websites = not suitable for breaking news
- Written for experts in the field; can be too technical for a newcomer or casual reader
Intended Audience: Scholars, researchers, professionals, and university students in particular field
Watch for: "Predatory" or "pay to publish" online journals
Pro:
- Current information
- Specialized articles related to a particular discipline or profession (including context and analysis)
Con:
- Sources not always cited
- Articles vary between short and easy to lengthy and highly specific
Intended Audience: Professional organizations or professionals/scholars with similar interests
What For / Consider: Has characteristics in common with both popular magazines and scholarly journals
Pro:
- More space than newspapers, magazines, or journals results in greater depth of information
- Often include tables of contents and indexes for easy navigation and discovery
- Often include footnotes, endnotes, and/or bibliographies
- Most books undergo some sort of editorial process (usually writer - editor)
Con:
- Take more time to read than other sources
- Can take months or even years to publish
- Many books do not undergo peer review
- Rise in self-publishing means more unedited or poorly edited books reach publication
Intended Audience: Varies (general audience through scholars)
What For / Consider: Information may be dated due to the time it takes to publish a book.
Pro:
- More space than newspapers = longer articles, more depth
- Published faster than books
- Articles undergo an editorial process involving many people: reporter to editor to copy editor
- Authority is clear for most articles
Con:
- Less space than books
- Publish articles less frequently than websites or newspapers; information can be outdated by press time
- Reporters often aren’t experts and are writing for general audiences, not experts
- Articles are not peer-reviewed
- Rely on advertising and subscription revenue
Intended Audience: General audience or those with a specific, recreational interest (e.g. sports, fashion, science, etc.)
What For / Consider: Potential editorial bias
Pro:
- Published more frequently than magazines, journals, or books
- Articles undergo an editorial process involving many people -- reporter to editor to copy editor
- Authority is clear for most articles
Con:
- Space limitations = shorter articles, less detail
- Publish articles less frequently than websites; information can be outdated by press time
- Reporters often aren’t experts and are writing for general audiences, not experts
- Articles are not peer-reviewed
- Rely on advertising and subscription revenue
Intended Audience: General audience
What For / Consider: Contains both fact-based reporting and editorial content (opinions). Opinions may be biased.
Pro:
- Easy to find using Google
- Often have higher editorial and design standards than personal websites
- Often managed by professional writers and designers
- Government websites are designed to inform citizens
Con:
- Commercial interests may come first
- Articles are written for general audiences
- Bylines often missing and works rarely cited
Intended Audience: General audience
What For / Consider: Governmental and educational websites have higher credibility than commercial websites
Pro:
- Articles easy to find using the site’s search field or Google
- Articles about current events updated frequently
- Best articles are edited by a crowd of interested and informed writers
- Useful for background information
Con:
- Editorial standards set by community; minimal oversight from Wikipedia staff
- Articles on obscure topics can go untouched for months
- Non-experts have just as much editorial control as experts
- Worst articles are poorly written and poorly sourced
- Instructors do not allow use as a source
Intended Audience: General audience
What For / Consider: Use the reference list to find other sources that can used
Pro:
- Easy to find through Google
- Might be updated quickly and frequently
- Direct access to person / author
- Access to scholarly work in progress
- Expansion of published work
Con:
- No editorial standards or oversight = author can express opinions, biases, and incorrect information with few consequences
- May not include information about the author, date of publication, or sources cited (if any)
- Vary widely in quality and reliability
Intended Audience: General audience through scholars depending on the source
What For / Consider: High potential for bias. Usually informal.
Dive Deeper
- Tutorial: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources from Credo Info-Lit Core Coruseward
In this tutorial, you will learn how to use primary, secondary, and tertiary sources in your academic life.