Locate different types of sources: Use a range of sources

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It is important to be aware of the range of information sources that are available to you and the attributes, advantages and disadvantages of each.

There are many information sources, from the obvious ones like books, magazines, newspapers and internet sites to those you may not immediately think of such as maps, annual reports, conference proceedings and theses.  All sources have strengths and weaknesses and you should consider these when deciding on the most appropriate sources to use in your research.

On this page we focus mainly on journals and magazines and the differences between popular, scholarly and trade publications.  Don't discard information just because it comes from a popular publication. All types of publications can contain valuable information for your research, including popular magazines, newspapers and trade magazines. 

It is important to know when you are using a scholarly journal and when you are not.  Scholarly journals are written by experts in academic or professional fields.  They are excellent sources for finding out what has been studied or researched on a topic, they will also have a bibliography which will point to other relevant sources of information. 

You should ensure that your Extended Project contains references to relevant articles from scholarly journals.

(Slide from: Makselon, J., 2011. Locate information, The research process for extended essay. Tanglin Trust School, unpublished.)

Source of tutorial: Collaboratively creating sharable information literacy tutorials, 2011. Tutorials. [Online] CLIP: Cooperative Library Instruction Project Available at: http://clip-il.wetpaint.com/page/Tutorials [Accessed 2 February 2011].

Scholarly publications

Scholarly articles are written by subject specialists, usually researchers publishing their results.  The purpose of scholarly journals is the advancement of knowledge, they are not for profit and do not contain advertising.  Scholarly articles are serious in appearance, there are not many pictures but they may contain tables and charts.   They will usually have an abstract, citations and a bibliography. They are sold through subscriptions and are not available in stores. 

 Popular publications

Popular publications often have an attractive cover, short articles, a glossy format and lots of photographs.  They are profit-making so advertising and sales influence their content and design.  The audience of a popular publication is the general public so subscriptions are sold to individuals or issues can be bought in stores.

Trade publications

Trade publications also have a glossy format.  They are designed to be attractive to people in a particular business area.  They provide news, current awareness and professional development.  Trade articles usually contain practical, applied information focused on a particular industry, trade or business.   Subscriptions are sold to individuals and issues may be available in stores.