Before beginning your research ask yourself these questions.
What kind of information will you need?
Do you want facts? Opinions? News reports? Research Studies? Analyses? Personal reflections? History? Primary sources?
Where are you likely to find this information?
Which sources are most likely to be useful? Research databases? Academic journals? Newspapers? Government records? The Internet?
How much information do you need?
How many sources of information are you looking for? Do you need to view both sides of the issue?
How do you find what you are looking for?
How do you select specific keywords, terms, and phrases in research databases and search engines?
Primary Sources are documents or artifacts that have an immediate, first-hand view of an experience, research, experiment, or work of art. Examples include letters, diaries, speeches, novels, movies, songs, interviews, paintings, laws, photographs, eye-witness accounts, or research studies detailing an experiment.
Secondary Sources are those works that often comment on or interpret the primary sources. Examples include literary criticism, articles summarizing research studies, biography and history books, reviews.
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SUBJECT |
Primary Source | Secondary Source |
| Art | The Kiss(Lovers), oil and gold leaf on canvas | biography on Gustav Klimt |
| Literature | Crime and Punishment (novel) | criticism essay on Dostoevsky |
| History | The Patriot Act public law | newspaper editorial on the Patriot Act's effect on privacy |
| Science | Study published in peer reviewed journal (often includes methods, results, conclusion) | Popular magazine or news report summarizing findings of that study |
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Books:
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Databases
Research databases provide access to many different types of sources including: |
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Magazines:
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Academic Journals:
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Newspapers:
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Reference:
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