The Right Tool for the Job

Depending on your topic, it's important that you choose the tool that offers you the most relevant results. Below is a list of sources you might wish to consult, based on how current the information is that you are searching for. You'll also want to distinguish between primary and secondary sources.

Primary source: An original manuscript, record or document created at the time an event occurred. Example: Declaration of Independence.

Secondary source: A work that critiques, comments on or builds upon primary sources associated with an event. Example: Article about the Declaration of Independence.

Source	Tool	Appropriate for...
People (Professor, Friends, Experts)	Word of mouth	Getting most up-to-date information Finding more ideas of where to search
Associations	Encyclopedia of Associations (REF HS17 G334), web search	Finding studies and other professionally produced information on your topic Example: American Planning Association has a Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy division.
Web	Search Engine	Topic overviews Company reports Selected free journal articles Note: You will find a wide range of sources - evaluation is essential.
Newspapers	LEXIS-NEXIS Academic, other individual newspaper databases	Not scholarly, but useful for opinions, dates, current events, and journalistic analysis
Magazines, Conference Proceedings, Scholarly Journals	Databases such as Gale PowerSearch, JSTOR, or Compendex Web via Engineering Village	Information varies in timeliness and scholarship. Each database will have a different focus. Be sure to read the descriptions.
Books, Reference Works, Annual Reviews	Library Catalog	Provide in-depth coverage Carefully edited Excellent for overview/background information

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Last modified: Aug 06, 2008, 16:18 EDT