What sources do you need?

Once you've chosen your topic, you're ready to get started on your research -- but what sort of research do you need?

Different projects require different kinds of information. In this section, we'll talk about what kinds of sources are available and which ones are best for your project.

To start, ask yourself:

What kind of project am I creating?
- Is it a research paper, a presentation, a video or song, a piece of art, or something else?
Who is my audience?
- Who is going to read or view my final project? Did that person give instructions about what kinds of sources to use?
What kind of information do I need to put into my project for the audience to understand, enjoy, or be convinced by it?
- Will my audience be expecting to see lots of scholarly research, statistics and data, firsthand accounts, or something else?

Next, let's talk about source types.

If you need ...	Try this source ...	Are these available through the SU library?
Up-to-the-minute news	The web, broadcast media	No. You will definitely want to search the web or watch local/national news coverage for these sources.
Current daily or local information	Newspapers, web-based news, broadcast media	Sometimes. You can access newspaper articles through OneSearch or other newspaper databases. You can search the web or watch local/national news coverage for broadcast media.
In-depth, thorough coverage of a topic	Books and ebooks	Yes! You can search for them in OneSearch or other ebook databases. Ebooks can be read online.
Background information or broad overviews on a topic	Subject encyclopedias, web encyclopedias	Sometimes. We do have access to an online reference library called Gale Virtual Reference Library. However, many online encyclopedias, such as Encyclopedia Britannica, are available online for free.
Statistics and data	Online statistical sources, government websites	Sometimes. We have access to two statistical databases, but statistics and data can also be found on the web.
Research on a focused topic	Scholarly journals	Yes! OneSearch or the library databases are great places to search for scholarly articles.
Historical information	Books and ebooks	Yes! You can search for them in OneSearch or other ebook databases. Ebooks can be read online.
Popular events	Magazines, broadcast media	Sometimes. Many of our databases, like OneSearch, include magazine articles. You can search the web or watch local/national news coverage for broadcast media.
Primary research	Scholarly journals, newspapers	Yes! OneSearch, the library databases, and the newspaper databases are good places to start. Depending on your topic there may also be collections of primary resources available on the web.

Activity:

Think about your example topic: "Cities need more funding for mass transportation systems to improve the quality of life of citizens." Which kinds of sources from this list would you choose to use? Where would you find them?

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Starting Research Right

What sources do you need?

To start, ask yourself:

Next, let's talk about source types.

Activity: