Sometimes it's difficult to know which sources to choose for your research. Think critically about the various types of resources and decide which will be most useful or appropriate for your research. Here are some guidelines that may help:
Articles
Definition: Articles are essays or reports published a "periodical," i.e. something published on a periodic basis like a scholarly journal, newspaper, magazine, etc. Periodicals generally fall into three categories:
- Popular (Scientific American, National Geographic, New York Times)
- Informational, aimed at the general public, written in plain language
- Most articles do not have an identified author and/or are written by staff writers
- Usually not peer-reviewed
- Few if any footnotes or references
- Usually for profit
- Scholarly (Current Biology, American Journal of Botany, Science)
- Research-based, written for an audience with knowledge in the field
- Written by scholars or experts in the field
- Articles "peer-review" by other scholars or experts in the field
- Usually lists sources and/or footnotes
- Usually not for profit
- Trade or Professional Journals (Drug Discovery & Development, Biotech Week, Nutrition & Food Science)
- Written for members of a particular industry or trade
- May look at industry trends or specific products
- Written by staff writers or experts in a field, but not necessarily peer reviewed
Why Choose Articles?
- Great sources for the most current or up-to-date information
- Often contain brief overviews of topics
- Sources for different aspects of a topic or specialized information
- Material goes through a publishing process, so there is some accountability
Books
Definition: Books can either be popular or scholarly, and they can contain either general information/overviews of a topic or comprehensive, in-depth studies.
Why Choose Books?
- They might provide multiple viewpoints, particularly if each chapter is written by a different author (for example, an anthology of essays).
- They are often the best place to look for a broad overview on a particular topic.
- They are great sources of historical information and for topics that don't change much over time.
- Reference books provide basic background information, facts, statistics, and other quick look-up information.
- Material goes through publishing process, so there is some accountability.
Websites
Definition: Pages or collections of information on the internet. Cover a variety of topics and resources, including commercial sites, scholarly or academic institutions, special interests, opinion sites, organization sites, etc.
Why Choose Websites?
- Good sources of current information
- Convenient source of material, particularly from educational websites and/or organizations, like the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), PBS, Library of Congress, United Nations, government agencies, etc.
- Some information can be reliable, although it takes more work on the reader's part to determine when this is the case.
- Provide information in a wide variety of formats, including sound, video, hyperlinked essays and documents, etc.
*Thank you to the University of St. Thomas, WSCU, Cornell, and University of Toronto for the information on this page.
