Research Help (Big 6)  » Selecting Kinds of Information Sources

Selecting Kinds of Information Sources

Instructions
Make a choice:
Use these suggestions to help you decide when
to use different kinds of information sources.

Go directly to:

Books	Internet sites	Primary sources
Subscription databases	Magazine and journal articles	Interviews

Use Books when:

1. There is a large amount of text to read

Reason: Many students do not like to read multiple pages on computer screens.          

    2. You need a variety of different kinds of related information in one place               

Example: An almanac lists mountain heights, river lengths, waterfall heights, and ocean depths all within a few pages. It would take a number of online searches to find all of those charts, which would take too long.

Example: Peterson's Guide to Distance Learning Programs lists colleges with online courses.   
                 It would take hours to find this information by searching individual college Web sites.

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Use Subscription Databases when:

    1. You want online information you can trust to be reliable               

Reason: Not all Internet sites contain information you can trust, since anyone can make Web sites.
Use this link to information about identifying fake Web sites.

    2. You need quality information centered around a particular focus

Example: Litfinder has poems, analysis of poems, and information about poets all in one database.

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Use Internet Sites when:

    1. You need recent statistics

Reason: Information can be put on Internet sites more quickly than it can be printed in magazines or books.

    2. You need images related to your topic               

Reason: Internet sites often contain pictures, charts, and graphs to support your ideas.

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Use Magazine or Journal Articles when:

    1. You need recent information written by experts in a field

Reason: Journals articles are carefully selected by editors before being printed, and come out much more quickly than books are written and printed.

    2. You want reports on research done by professionals               

Reason: Summaries of studies conducted by experts are printed in journals.

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Use Primary Sources when:

Definition: Primary sources are original documents that were created at the time an event occurred.
They reflect direct personal experiences of the time in which they were created.

    1. You want first-hand information so you can form your own opinions about events

Example: Newspapers and TV shows discuss and interpret presidential speeches. Reading the actual text of the speeches allows you to form your own opinions about what was said.

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Use Interviews when:

   1. You want to get a personal viewpoint

Reason: Written information has been interpreted by the author.

2. Nothing has been written about a topic, but you know someone who lived through it

Reason: Individuals often have wonderful information and viewpoints that can help your research.

Works Cited

Guide to Distance Learning Programs. (2002) Princeton, NJ: Peterson's

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  copyright 2006 Carolyn Jackson