Research Paper > Locating Sources
Locating Sources
Once you have developed a tentative thesis, it is time to locate sources that support your thesis or argument.
The availability of sources is almost unlimited thanks to the Internet. Sources include electronic sources, reference books, government publications, books, periodicals, newspapers, magazines, and media resources.
However, care must be exercised in selecting sources that are relevant and reliable.
The following IRSC library guidelines can help you determine whether your sources are appropriate for a research paper:
The availability of sources is almost unlimited thanks to the Internet. Sources include electronic sources, reference books, government publications, books, periodicals, newspapers, magazines, and media resources.
However, care must be exercised in selecting sources that are relevant and reliable.
- Relevant sources are sources that are current and applicable to your topic.
- Reliable sources are objective (as opposed to biased), documented (sources are cited), and scholarly (written by an expert).
The following IRSC library guidelines can help you determine whether your sources are appropriate for a research paper:
How can you find sources?
- Information can easily be found on the web using search engines such as Yahoo! (www.yahoo.com), Google (www.google.com), and Bing (www.bing.com).
- Using a metasearch engine will allow you to search several sites simultaneously. Examples of metasearch engines are Dogpile (www.dogpile.com), MetaCrawler (www.metacrawler.com), and WebCrawler (www.webcrawler.com).
- The IRSC library is a wonderful resource.
- The IRSC library website contains excellent research guides which describe the resources available through the library system and how to access them. The library’s website also provides guidance on how to find books and eResources concerning your topic.
- If you need help navigating the library’s online resources, check out the library’s database tutorials and user guides. Of course, the IRSC librarians are always available to assist you also.
- The IRSC library website contains excellent research guides which describe the resources available through the library system and how to access them. The library’s website also provides guidance on how to find books and eResources concerning your topic.
What is the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?
Frequently, when your assignment is to write a research paper (especially, a literary analysis), you are instructed to use both the primary resource and secondary resources. What is the difference?
For a literary analysis, the primary resource is the literary work itself, e.g., the novel, the poem, the short story. For other types of research papers, the primary resource is the original source of the information being discussed, e.g., a document, speech, event.
Secondary sources interpret or evaluate information in the primary source, e.g., a journal article which interprets or analyzes a poem.
For a literary analysis, the primary resource is the literary work itself, e.g., the novel, the poem, the short story. For other types of research papers, the primary resource is the original source of the information being discussed, e.g., a document, speech, event.
Secondary sources interpret or evaluate information in the primary source, e.g., a journal article which interprets or analyzes a poem.
How should you keep track of your sources?
First of all, remember to keep copies of all your sources – especially your online sources (because their location on the Web may change). Keeping copies will help you not only when writing your paper but also is absolutely necessary when documenting your paper.
Second, create a working bibliography (list of your sources). The working bibliography consists of all the information you will need to prepare the Works Cited page (for an MLA research paper) or the References page (for an APA paper). You may also want to include a brief description of what the source is about. This description will help you later when deciding which sources better support your thesis -- or, in other words, which sources to reference in your research paper.
Second, create a working bibliography (list of your sources). The working bibliography consists of all the information you will need to prepare the Works Cited page (for an MLA research paper) or the References page (for an APA paper). You may also want to include a brief description of what the source is about. This description will help you later when deciding which sources better support your thesis -- or, in other words, which sources to reference in your research paper.