When finding resources for research assignments, it is important to find reliable sources so you receive accurate and trustworthy information. Reliable sources can come in many forms such as books, journal articles, newspaper articles, magazine articles, and sometimes websites. No matter what type of source you use, they need to be:
Credible: these sources are reliable, fact-checked sources that contain accurate information.
Scholarly: these sources are academic in content and contain a vast amount of research.
Peer-reviewed: these sources are sources that have been evaluated and edited by other scholars in a particular field of study before publication.
Find out more about scholarly and peer-reviewed sources on the Types of Sources tab.
While some information on the internet can be reliable, not all information on the internet is. Therefore, it is important to try to find reliable, trustworthy sources through your library. Use the Evaluating Websites tab to get help on finding credible information on the internet.
During the research process, you'll come across some vocabulary that will be useful to understand. Below are some of the terms librarians use and recommend students understanding:
Periodical - a publication that is published over a period of time (i.e. newspapers/magazines). These publications can be published periodically or at regular intervals like once a month or once a quarter, etc.
Abstract - summary of an article or book
Limiters - options in a database or catalog that lets you narrow down (or filter) the results retrieved
Permalink - a permanent hyperlink connected to an article, blog, or website
Bibliographic information - the information from a resource needed to cite that resource (i.e. author name, publisher, volume/issue number, date, etc.)