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ENG 101: English Composition I - Brown

 

Selecting Sources for Research Papers

Types of Sources

Information comes from many places. We may get information from books, the news, or social media.

When using information for an academic paper, some sources may be more helpful than others. The library provides access to the following kinds of sources:

  • Scholarly articles (peer reviewed research from academic journals, usually written by professors or graduate students)
  • Books
  • Ebooks 
  • News and magazine articles
  • Reference books, such as encyclopedias and dictionaries
  • Streaming videos

Choosing scholarly sources (such as scholarly articles) for your research assignments is an important part of the research process. 

Evaluating Sources

When you locate a source that you  may want to use in your research, you should first make sure that the source is reliable, up to date, and relevant to your research topic. No matter what your source type (scholarly article, book, encyclopedia, etc.), ask yourself the following questions:

  • When was this source published? Is the information outdated, or is it still up to date? (Currency)
  • Who created this source, and what are their qualifications? Are they an expert on the topic? (Authority)
  • Is the information true? Can you fact-check it? (Accuracy)
  • Does the source help you answer your research question? Is it a relevant source? (Relevance)
  • Why was this information published? To inform you? To sell you something? To convince you? (Purpose)

Asking these questions will help you choose the best sources for your paper.