Different Strengths

Different subjects tend to emphasize different types of information sources as being most important.

  • The sciences rely on current journal articles for the latest in research and reference sources for hard facts and formulas.
  • The humanities (art, literature, music) are more likely to use books for in depth coverage, unless the topic is a very recent one.
  • The social sciences (psychology, sociology, government, history) use articles and the web to explore recent topics and books for historical needs.
  • Business uses articles and the web for latest trends.

 

Think about your topic and which types of sources you're likely to need:

 

Reference (encyclopedias, almanacs, dictionaries, etc.)

  • Good starting points because they provide short background information that makes more specific information understandable
  • Have hard facts, such as statistics, formulas, definitions, etc.
  • Objective, unbiased information

Books

  • In-depth analysis
  • Written by experts
  • Give historical perspectives

Periodical Articles

  • Emphasize current information usually
  • Sources of latest research
  • Good for local information (newspapers)
  • Frequently include articles stressing opinions

Internet
(this refers to the "public" part, where anyone can post information)

  • Difficult to list strong points because almost every type of information --good and bad--is available
  • Especially useful for very current news and for "alternative" ideas
  • Good for local information
  • Good for pictures


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