Overview
This lecture provides strategies for finding credible and relevant sources to support your essay or research project.
Importance of Sources
- Using credible sources strengthens your arguments and adds authority to your work.
- Academic essays and research projects require evidence from outside sources to support claims.
Types of Sources
- Sources can be primary (original documents or data) or secondary (analysis or interpretation).
- Scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed articles and academic books, are preferred.
- Popular sources, like newspapers and magazines, may provide background or current perspectives.
Where to Find Sources
- University library databases are reliable tools for accessing scholarly materials.
- Google Scholar offers a broad search for academic articles, but not all results are peer-reviewed or free.
- Books can be located using the library’s online catalog.
Search Strategies
- Start with key terms from your research question to guide your search.
- Use Boolean operators ("AND," "OR," "NOT") to narrow or broaden your results.
- Reviewing references in relevant articles or books can lead to more sources.
Evaluating Sources
- Assess the credibility, relevance, and date of the source before including it in your work.
- Prefer sources authored by experts with credentials or affiliations in the field.
Citing Sources
- Proper citation avoids plagiarism and shows where your evidence comes from.
- Use the citation style (APA, MLA, etc.) required by your assignment instructions.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Primary Source — Original material or evidence directly related to the topic.
- Secondary Source — Analysis, interpretation, or summary of primary sources.
- Peer-reviewed — Evaluated by experts before publication for quality and credibility.
- Boolean Operators — Words used to combine or exclude search terms in databases.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Identify the research question or topic for your project.
- Search for at least three scholarly sources using the library database.
- Evaluate the relevance and credibility of your chosen sources.
- Record citation details for all sources found.