Research 101: Understanding Types of Information

Understanding source types helps you determine what you need for your research.  Below is a list of commonly used resources with brief descriptions. Click on a link to learn how to locate information in a particular source type.

• Books and Ebooks
       Provide broad, foundational coverage of a topic, usually with an in-depth analysis.
• Reference Sources, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks
       Offer introductory overviews.  You can find background information to help you
       select a topic and place it in the broader context of the discipline.
• Scholarly Peer-Reviewed Journals
       Contain articles written and reviewed by experts in the discipline. Topics are
       usually more narrowly focused.
• Popular Magazines
       Are written for general audiences and are meant to entertain, inform, or present
       an opinion.  Authors are usually employed by the magazine.
• Newspapers 
       Available in print and online and one of the first mediums to report on an event.
• Video databases
       Available through the library and provide scholarly coverage in a variety of
       disciplines.  Users can create playlists and create clips that can be embedded into
       other documents.  
• Websites
       Provide ready access to information of all kinds. They often provide valuable
       information, but you must carefully evaluate the credibility and reliability of web
       sources.