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Intro to College Research

Information Sources

Peer-reviewed, scholarly articles

  • Information is current within a few months and years - check their references to see the general time the author did their research
  • Examples: search the RCBC Databases for articles RCBC students have full access to or check Google Scholar

Books with footnotes or references

  • Present scholarly information and may cover a whole subject rather than just a portion
  • Information in these books is most likely 2-3 years old already at the time of publishing
  • Examples: check the RCBC Library Catalog

News 

  • Information in the news is very current, but corrections may be made after the fact
  • Articles are not peer-reviewed
  • Examples: click "Publications" at the top of ProQuest Central for newspapers like The New York Times, magazines, etc.

Streaming Videos

Diaries, journals, memoirs, blogs

  • Usually are current to the time they were created, great for understanding perceptions of events when they occurred

Websites

  • Many types of information is available on the web with varying levels of currency and scholarliness 
  • Check out these Internet Search Strategies :Internet Searching

Types of Sources

When you are researching, there are three types of sources available:

Primary (eyewitness accounts, right here right now) can be used as proof of an issue

Primary sources: Records of events created as they occurred or recorded by eyewitnesses Examples: Letters & emails, photographs, journals, diaries and memoirs, audio recordings, and video recordings.

Secondary (interpretations of primary sources) can be used to support your argument

Secondary Sources: Takes into account multiple eyewitnesses or primary sources and creates a record that considers an event from many points of view. Secondary sources provide objectivity and context. Examples: Books, scholarly articles, and documentaries.

Tertiary (a collection of primary and secondary sources) can be used as a starting point to get background information on a topic

Tertiary sources: Brief summaries of information on a topic, compilation of primary and secondary sources. Usually NOT appropriate for college research. Examples: Encyclopedias, fact books, and textbooks.