Understanding Different Source Types 

Different source types may provide different kinds of information. Understanding source types can help you choose the best information for your needs!

The list below is not exhaustive. From tweets and blogposts to conference proceedings and reports, there is a wide world of information. 

Ask of each source: 

• Is it reliable? If so, how do you know? What is the purpose of this information? What role will this play in your research?

Contextualize your information sources in the body of your essay, so it is clear to your reader how much weight they should place on each source.

Some sources by type

Read academic subject encyclopedias, or reference, for: background knowledge theoretical terms an overview of the history of a subject or issues key players leads to more information.
Read books, book chapters, and essays in anthologies for: in-depth analysis history opinion theory multiple perspectives
Read newspaper articles for: a daily account of events and issues on a local, regional, national or international scale analysis of current issues editorial and opinion pieces business, environment and science news
Read magazine articles for: more in-depth discussion of current events and issues in the news longer articles written for an interested audience in lay-person language on technology, health, science, business and more illustrations: charts, pictures and graphs
View and listen to multimedia for: documentaries on current science, engineering and business topics informed discussion and analysis case studies & personal accounts background information
Read trade articles to learn about: news briefs or overviews of current research and tools current trends and updates in the profession professional terminology opinion on governmental policy, current issues, and more professional development to find leads to more information on your subject
Read scholarly articles and books to learn about: current research in-depth analysis metareviews of the literature professional terminology find data, statistics, charts, and other factual information to get a sense of the scope of the scholarly conversation on your subject to find leads to more information on your subject

What is Scholarly literature?

Scholarly literature refers to journals and books of original research and analysis that further our knowledge in a field.

Scholarship is how academics and researchers stay current in their fields.

Scholarship is a conversation in which authors look for gaps in existing research and knowledge, and they build on, test, reinforce, and/ or refute existing scholarship on their topic.

Three types of scholarly article in science fields.

A Research article reports on an original experiment or study that investigates a stated problem. The study is carefully controlled so that results are valid. Data is collected and analyzed. 

A Literature Review summarizes and analyzes the important articles on a topic. Literature reviews are a great resource for learning about the scope of research, question, issues and theories in a field. 

A Theoretical article is an article that presents a theoretical approach to a question or field. It draws on others' research to support the theory, rather than presenting new research and data.

Conference Papers vs Peer Reviewed Articles: Scholarship on a topic is a process and researchers frequently seek feedback from other scholars by presenting their findings at conferences. Peer Reviewed Scholarship refers to articles that have gone through a rigorous quality review process by outside subject experts to be accepted for publication in an academic journal.