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sourcesCons:Watch copyrights for outdated materialMay only be one copy for multiple users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