Research 101
Type of Information Source Library Tool
Background information Encyclopedias (general and subject), other reference works, almanacs, dictionaries,
handbooks, manuals, etc.)
Comprehensive information Books (monographs)
Current or up-to-date information Databases, scholarly journals, periodicals, a good search engine (Google Scholar)
Additional current or up-to-date information www, a good search engine (Google Power Search or Boolean search)
Background information Encyclopedias (general and subject), other reference works, almanacs, dictionaries,
handbooks, manuals, etc.)
Comprehensive information Books (monographs)
Current or up-to-date information Databases, scholarly journals, periodicals, a good search engine (Google Scholar)
Additional current or up-to-date information www, a good search engine (Google Power Search or Boolean search)
Databases
A database is a searchable but closed set of records. Thecontent of a database is limited to the materials that have been selected and entered into the database, usually following a strict set of criteria. Content within a database is organized, often so you can search by subject or by keywords in all of the text of each item in the database. A database's content doesn't reflect the holdings of any specific library, but is a collection of high quality scholarly resources compiled by editors and made available through vendors (EBSCOHost, ProQuest, etc.).
helpful or useful.
The library catalog is a database, but it contains only the resources available in a given library. Like a research database, a library catalog is a
closed set of records. The information entered into the library catalog is limited to brief descriptions of the items such as its title, the author, where
the item was published, and perhaps a table of contents. Thus, a full text search in the library catalog is limited to the brief descriptions of the items,
whereas a database enables searching the full text of all articles within the database.
helpful or useful.
The library catalog is a database, but it contains only the resources available in a given library. Like a research database, a library catalog is a
closed set of records. The information entered into the library catalog is limited to brief descriptions of the items such as its title, the author, where
the item was published, and perhaps a table of contents. Thus, a full text search in the library catalog is limited to the brief descriptions of the items,
whereas a database enables searching the full text of all articles within the database.
Scholarly Articles
Popular Magazines
Generally, scholarly periodical literature has more credibility because it is written and published by experts. Popular periodical literature, on the other hand, is a good source of examples and can function as a quick source of current information on a topic. |
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Newspapers
- Are produced by commercial publishers
- Are not peer-reviewed
- Contain articles written by journalists for non-specialists
- Communicate information of general interest, to inform, entertain, or persuade
- Contain short(er) articles written in non-technical language, with no abstracts or citations
- Contain extensive advertising
- Are usually published daily or weekly
- Are usually black and white on cheap paper
- While most newspapers provide short articles with minimal background information, they are useful for providing up-to-date information on current
issues. Some newspapers, like The Christian Science Monitor, are considered authoritative on subjects like international affairs. The New York Times is considered the newspaper of record for the United States.