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Research Success Tutorial – Information Sources (Module 2) In the last module, we learned that some of the main sources of information include: • • • • Books Periodicals Non-Print Media Web Sites In this module, we will examine each of these sources more closely. By the time you are finished reviewing this information, you will be able to describe what each source is and how it might be useful during the research process. Books There are two types of books used for research, which are General, and Reference: General Books General books are an excellent source of background or historical information. They provide extensive information on one specific topic or a collection of closely related topics. Reference books Reference books that give brief information or short articles on a variety of subjects include: • • • • almanacs dictionaries directories atlases Reference books that provide extensive coverage on one specific topic or related topics include: • • • • encyclopedias handbooks guides manuals Find Books Use the library catalogue on the George Brown College Library Learning Commons homepage to find the availability, location, and additional information of books. Hint: Many books include a table of contents and an index that lists the topics. Periodicals Any materials such as journals, magazines and newspapers that are published continuously: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly are referred to as periodicals. Periodical articles provide focused, current information on your topic. Periodicals include: Scholarly journals Trade & Industry journals Magazines Newspapers Let’s examine some of the key features of each type of periodical. Scholarly journals Scholarly journals (also known as academic journals or peer-reviewed journals) are written by experts in the field. They report original research findings or provide a scholarly discussion of a topic. Peer-review refers to the process of evaluating an article by researchers and experts before the article is published. This process ensures that the journal and the research maintain a high standard of quality, accuracy, and academic integrity. Examples of scholarly journals include: • Journal of Environmental Management • Business and Education Research • Nursing Diagnosis Scholarly journal articles may include both an abstract and a bibliography. An abstract is a brief summary of an article. A bibliography is a list of the sources used while doing research and is also referred to as a: • Reference List • Works Cited List • References Trade & Industry Journals Trade and industry journals are intended for a specific industry or profession. They cover industry news, new developments or product reviews. Articles are often written by professionals within the industry. Examples of trade and industry journals include: • CA Magazine • RN • Home Builder Magazine Magazines Magazines are written for a wide audience and cover news and topics of interest to the general public. The articles are generally written by reporters rather than experts in the fields. Magazines also feature pictures and advertisements. Examples of magazines include: • Macleans • National Geographic • Psychology Today Newspapers Newspapers are usually published daily and can provide readers with a good account of current events locally, nationally or internationally. Examples of newspapers include: • Toronto Star • Globe and Mail • National Post Find Periodicals To find periodical titles, use the Journals by Title or Library Catalogue link. Both links are located on the Library Learning Commons homepage. To find full text articles, use the Online Research Databases, such as Academic Search Premier or Canadian Newsstand. Non-Print Media Non-print media can be good sources of additional information on your topic and can add a different perspective to your research. Examples of non-print media resources include: • • • • • • • DVDs/Videos Slides Audio Recordings Interactive CDs Sound Recordings Computer Files Online Videos Find Non-Print Media Use the Video & DVDs tab or the Online Video & DVDs link on the Library homepage to find videos and DVDs. Use the library catalogue to search for non-print media titles. Web Sites Web sites are a collection of World Wide Web pages on the Internet made available online by an individual, company, government or educational institution. Web sites provide a whole range of information. However, the credibility of information found on web sites must be carefully evaluated as they: • can be biased • may contain inaccurate or outdated information One way to distinguish between different types of websites is to examine the web address (also called the URL) extetnsion. The extension of a web address consists of the last few letters that fall after the last dot. Note the web address extensions associated with these five broad categories of web sites. .ca = Canadian website (www.georgebrown.ca) .edu = Educational institutions (www.harvard.edu ) .gov = government websites (usually in the U.S. - www.whitehouse.gov) .org = organizations, non-government organizations or associations (www.redcross.org) .com = commercial website (www.rim.com) Find Web Sites Web sites can be found on the Internet using either a search engine or a subject directory.