Research involves gathering and interpreting information. To answer a question or understand an issue, you have to seek relevant information, which helps you develop your point of view.
Your assignment guidelines will state the sources you can use, and you must be careful to use the correct sources. The questions below will also help you determine what sources to use.
Also, remember that not all sources are scholarly or peer-reviewed. Many may be popular sources.
Books: Books will provide an excellent general overview of a topic but are generally not as up-to-date as the other sources (depending on your topic, that might not matter). Further, not all books are scholarly.
Articles: Articles from journals and magazines deal with more specific topics than books and are usually more up-to-date. Not all articles are scholarly or peer-reviewed.
Web pages: All information can be found online, including text, video, audio, statistics, and maps. The currency and quality of the information vary greatly. Therefore, it is vital to evaluate sources found online; click here for more information about evaluation.