Introduction to Research English B1A Introduction to Research

Types of Sources There are several types of sources available to you at BC including books and periodicals. Periodicals are sources that come out periodically. Here are some examples Magazines Newspapers Journals

Evaluating Sources When looking for sources to use as research for an academic assignment, you want to find sources that are credible and reputable. This will help you establish your ethos.

Newspapers Newspapers are written for a general audience. They generally give an overview of the issue (including what makes it newsworthy) in terms that most people can understand. They often don’t get very in-depth about the issue or cite the sources where their information came from.

Magazines Magazines are aimed at the general public. They are designed mainly to entertain. Their articles are typically written by magazine staff rather than experts in the field. They are aimed at the general public.

Scholarly Journals Journals are different from magazines and newspapers. While newspapers and magazines are aimed at making profit, journals aim to further knowledge in a particular field. While newspapers and magazines are aimed at general audiences, journals are aimed at other professionals in the field. While newspapers and magazines can publish information without being “vetted,” scholarly journal articles are often peer reviewed.

Magazine VS Journal

Getting Source Information Library Card Catalogue E-books Physical books Databases Scholarly journal articles Newspaper articles

Buyer Beware… Many of you will be asking, “Why not just google it?” Information on the internet is plentiful and often incorrect. You need to be able to carefully evaluate websites for accuracy of information and credibility before you ever cite one in a paper.

Finding Internet Sources You’ll need to ask yourself these basic questions when contemplating using a website as a source in your research paper: Who is the author of the cite? Is this author an “expert”? What are his or her qualifications? What is the purpose of the cite? Is it to convince you of something? Is there any bias? (Look at the url here) Is the information current and up to date? Does the cite give references that also look credible and current? Could you go “mining for sources”? Is the information correct? Does it confirm what you already know to be true from other credible sources? Does it contain a large number of typos or other errors?

Evaluating websites http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/bread.html http://petsorfood.com/