Sources of Information for the Research Paper

Capstone Research ProjectHolbrook Junior Senior High School

Mrs. Christine Golden

Sources of InformationOnce you have chosen your

research topic and constructed a thesis statement, it is time to start gathering your information.

USE MULTIPLE AND

DIVERSE SOURCES

Information Sources• Books• Magazines• Journals• Diaries• Online Databases• Websites (limit these)• Personal Interviews• Newspaper Articles• Photographs• Documentaries• Biographies• Encyclopedias• Almanacs• Government documents• Artifacts (physical objects…)

BOOKSDon’t forget Google books Pros:

Good for in-depth informationReliable, has gone through an editing

processContains cited sourcesReference lists to direct you to other

sourcesCons:Watch copyrights for outdated materialMay only be one copy for multiple users

POPULAR MAGAZINESPros:Good for information on a

variety of broad general interest topics

Written for entertainment and leisure reading

Cons:Little in-depth informationFew or no cited sourcesNo bibliographies or reference

lists

NEWS ORIENTED MAGAZINES

Examples:TIME

Newsweek(online only)

Pros:good for information on current eventsgood for analysis on current trends

Cons:Research is not in-depthNo reference listsNo cited sources

SCHOLARLY JOURNALS

Pros:good for in-depth research and

analysiscontains cited sourcescontains reference listsarticles are reviewed by experts

before publicationCons:uses technical language that

may be difficult to understand

JOURNALS VS. MAGAZINES

ENCYCLOPEDIAS

PROS:• excellent place to start research• provides information that is

general and brief• links to more sophisticated and in-

depth information • print or online format available• www.worldbookonline.com • User ID: hjshslibrary• Password: bulldogs • Encyclopedia Britannica available

via www.ocln.org

NEWSPAPERS

Boston Globe

New York Times*Available on our

catalog site forFREE

Pros:good for information on current eventsgood for analysis on current trends

Cons: research is not in-depthno reference listsno cited sources

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONSPros:good for information that cannot be

easily accessed by the general public

good for research on controversial topics

good for primary source infoCons:varies in quantity and currency may be politically biased

DATABASESPros:highly reliableeasy to accesscitations properly completelyreferences to other reliable siteswide variety of topics available FREE to access through

www.ocln.org GVRL Gale Virtual Reference LibraryBiography in Context

WEBSITESPros:quick and easy to access informationlarge body of information available

Cons: varies greatly in qualityno regulation on the web anyone can

publish!no editing process to check reliabilitydistracting ads and graphicsmany lack publication info, difficult to cite

TYPES OF SOURCES

Primary Sources- first hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic

Secondary Sources- interprets and analyzes primary

sources

Tertiary Sources- provides overview of a topic by combining primary and secondary sources

PRIMARY SOURCES

Created by witnesses or participants who directly experienced or observed an event

Examples:Court transcriptsDiaries, letters, emailsManuscriptsMapsOriginal artworkFilmSheet music, sound

recordingsInterviews, speeches

SECONDARY SOURCES

Interprets and analyzes primary sources

Are one or more steps removed from an event

Does not present original thinking

Examples:HistoriesCriticisms

Commentaries

TERTIARY SOURCES

Overview of topics gathered from primary and secondary sources

Almanacs TextbooksDictionaries ChronologiesFact books Manuals

RESEARCH PAPERS

Strong research papers contain: *a defendable thesis*multiple sources of information (many)*varied sources of information (not just websites)

*properly cited sources