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So, now you need information! More specifically, there are 4 types of information that you will need to do your research well!
Different formats of information are useful for different types of information. This is a quick overview of when, how, and where to find those information sources.
Web searching is a useful first step in determining good search words and basic information about your topic.
Websites can be useful for gathering shallow background information (like, reading a wikipedia article and following it's resources at the end of the article), current information (like, reading a News source that is being updated by the minute, or following a Twitter stream), and certainly being exposed to alternate opinions!
In general, internet searching won't be good at in-depth background information or academic studies.
It's good to understand when a book is useful for a research project and when it may not be.
In general, books are best at in-depth background information.
Books may useful when:
Books may not useful when:
One of the best ways to determine if you need books or not is to discuss your topic with a reference librarian!
In general, news articles are good at reliable current information. Magazine articles are good at a mix of current and background information, and Journal Articles are Academic Studies. Primarily, you'll want to use articles published in academic journals for your research. Look for peer-reviewed articles, which makes the work even more scholarly. The peer reviewed process means experts in the field reviewed the article before it was published.
Articles may be useful when:
Articles may not be useful when:
As with books, consult a reference librarian for assistance!
Often when making an argument, you may need to back it up with cold, hard facts, like statistics. Statistics straddle the line between background information and current information, depending on the context.
Here are some examples of topics when seeking and analyzing statistics are useful: